Baba ganoush

A Creamy, smoky, Middle Eastern eggplant dip with tahini, garlic, and lemon

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I never get tired of Middle Eastern dips and spreads, and when I make them I usually make several different kinds to keep things interesting. Hummus, beet and yogurt dip, labne, butternut squash dip, and this wonderful spread made with roasted eggplant will usually be found on my table, often with a bowl of freshly fried falafels with all the toppings. Add a bright Israeli salad, maybe some tabouli, and a basket of steaming fresh pita, and I’m in gustatory heaven.

Baba ganoush is one of my absolute favorites, the one that never rotates out of the mix. It uses just a few ingredients, and if you have a food processor it’s super easy to make.

You’ll have the best results if you have a grill, or a gas stovetop, because these two methods will give your eggplants a nice smoky flavor, but you can use an oven, or even a microwave in a pinch.

To Prepare the Eggplant(s)

To use a grill, get your coals nice and hot and put your whole, unpeeled eggplant(s) on the grate. Roast the eggplant, using tongs to turn it often, until it collapses on itself and the skin is black and crispy-looking all around.

For a gas stove top (my most used method), line the stove top, or at least the part under the burner that you’re using, with aluminum foil, cutting out a circle for the burner to come through. This will prevent you from having a mess to clean up on the stove.

Turn the burner on high and place your eggplant directly on the burner. Allow it to roast, turning and readjusting its position as needed, until the skin is blackened all over and the eggplant has collapsed.

To roast eggplants in thef oven, put your eggplant on a baking pan, turn your oven to its highest heat setting, and roast it, turning from time to time, until the eggplant is soft and has collapsed.

For the microwave, pierce the eggplant in several places and place it on a microwave safe dish. (If you forget to do this the eggplant will explode and you’ll be cleaning the microwave until the world to come arrives.) Microwave it on high, for a few minutes at a time, until the eggplant is soft and has collapsed. Time will vary according to the wattage of your microwave and the size of your eggplant.

Once your eggplant has cooled enough for you to handle it, make an incision lengthwise and scrape the flesh away from the skin with a soup spoon, discarding the skin. Drop the flesh into your food processor and continue with the recipe below. (You may also need to peel the skin from the flesh with your fingers in some areas, which can result in a few bits of the skin finding their way into the processor as well. This is not a problem.)

I often double this recipe.

Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

• 1 large globe eggplant, about 1 pound

• 1 large or two small cloves of garlic, chopped

• 3 tablespoons—¼ cup tahini, to taste

• 3—4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste

• a sprinkle of paprika, sweet or smoked

• Aleppo pepper, to taste (optional)

• a swirl of best quality olive oil

• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (you can also use a combination of parsley, cilantro, and mint)

Method:

• Roast the eggplant in one of the ways described above.

• Scrape the flesh from the skin and put the flesh into the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade.

• Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Add a bit of Aleppo pepper, if you want to give the dish some heat.

• Process until smooth.

• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

• Spread onto a serving plate , add a swirl of olive oil, a sprinkle of paprika, and scatter the chopped herbs over the baba ganoush.

• serve with warm pita