Baba Ghanoush

As you can see, from my previous eggplant posting, that we love eggplant, of any kind, but Baba Ganoush, the Middle Eastern dish is one of our all time favorite. It is easy to just simply roast in the oven and cut it open, let it cool a little, and scoop out all that goodness from the pulp. Just chop it up with a potato masher, and add all the nice spices that it calls for...and don't forget the Tahini!

 Baba Ghanoush

2 large eggplants

1/4 to 1/2 cup Tahini (sesame paste)

3 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 1 lemon

a pinch of ground cumin

a pinch of dry oregano (fresh is even better)

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

a small handful of fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, or Kalamata olives

On a baking sheet, line aluminum foil, prick the eggplants all over with a fork, drizzle with a small amount  of vegetable oil and roll it around, so that it's all covered with the oil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 35t-45 minutes and test to see if it's soft. (It has to be totally soft.)

Remove from the oven, and cut in half, as show in photo, let it cool a little before scooping the pulp out. Place the eggplant in a bowl, and with a potato masher mash it to a nice paste. Add the Tahini, the garlic, the spices and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a nice serving dish and drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with the parsley, and place the olives around the sides. Serve with toasted pita bread, or crostini. Naan is very good too to serve with. Serves 6.