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Baba Ganoush

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A easy to make silky, smoky, creamy Middle Eastern eggplant appetizer.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium eggplants or 4 small (about 2 1/2 pounds )
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp Celtic sea salt
  • ¼ cup tahini, more if needed
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, more if needed
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • Pinch of cayenne (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for serving
  • parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat grill on medium or prepare a medium hot charcoal fire.*
  2. Prick eggplant with a fork in a few places and place on the grill rack.
  3. Grill turning frequently until the skin blackens and the flesh feels soft 15-20 minutes. If the skin is getting black and the eggplant is still not soft turn down the heat to low. You want the eggplant to be soft and mushy but you don’t want the flesh burnt.
  4. Remove eggplant from the grill. Place into a bowl and cover. Let cool or refrigerate overnight.
  5. Once it is cool, peel off and discard the skin and liquid.
  6. Coarsely chop the flesh and put it into a bowl
  7. Using a fork mash the eggplant to a paste.
  8. Smash the garlic on a cutting board with the broad side of a chef’s knife. Sprinkle the salt on the smashed clove, and mash it into the garlic until you get a puree. Alternately you can just mince the garlic. Add to the eggplant.
  9. Add the tahini, , lemon juice,  cumin and cayenne. Mix well until creamy.
  10. Taste and add more salt, tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
  11. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
  12. Serve with cucumber, carrots, radishes, chips or pita bread.
  13. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Notes

If you don’t have a grill roast on your gas stove top. Place eggplant directly on top of the gas range grate.  Turn the flame to medium. Allow eggplant to roast over the flame for 20-30 minutes, until the skin chars and the inside is soft. Give it a quarter every 5 minutes as it cooks. The larger the eggplant, the longer it will take to roast. Smaller eggplants (like Japanese eggplants) will roast faster. When finished cooking, remove from oven and proceed to recipe.

If you don’t have a gas stove or grill:
Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and sprinkle with sea salt and place in a colander in the sink to drain any excess liquid. After 10 minutes, rinse slightly and then pat dry between two towels.Arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Broil on top rack for 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice, until the eggplant is softened and golden brown. Remove from pan, put into a bowl and cover to lock in moisture – wait until cool, proceed with recipe.

Find it online: https://eatwellenjoylife.com/baba-ganoush/