Babaganoush

Here's a classic recipe for eggplant, and very good too. If you can cook the eggplants on a grill, so  much the better. If not and you can find smoked paprika, that will help supply the smoky quality that makes this so nice. Serve it with pita bread of course.

about 2 cups dip
2 hours to prepare the eggplant
20 minutes to finish the dip

Roast the Eggplants:
3 medium (1.5 kg or 3 pounds) eggplants
salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and trim the eggplants, and cut each with 2 or 3 deep gouges, to the other side but not breaking the skin, and sprinkle salt generously into each cut. Set aside for 30 minutes or an hour, then rinse out the salt. Rub the eggplants with the oil and roast them at 350°F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until quite soft. Let cool.

This can be done up to a day ahead, refrigerating the cooled eggplants until needed, in a covered dish. 

Finish the Babaganoush:
3 tablespoons tahini
3 to 6 cloves of garlic
the juice of 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet OR hot paprika
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley OR cilantro

Scrape the flesh of the eggplants from the skin, and discard the skin. Mash the flesh well with a fork, or if you prefer a smoother texture, put it into the bowl of a food processor. Add the tahini, the garlic peeled and finely minced (or left whole, if going into the food processor), the lemon juice, the salt, the pepper, the paprika, and the parsley or cilantro. Mix well, or purée until well blended.

Posted in: Ontario Food