Recipe Baba Ganoush

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I owe a debt to the beautiful recipe that SatNavSaysStraightOn posted for Baba Ganoush over 2 years ago. I've made variations of that recipe several times, but I never felt a need to post it because SatNavSaysStraightOn already did it so well.

I didn't break any new ground here, but I did make a few tweaks. The key, as she posted previously, is to char the eggplant skin over an open flame.

Ingredients

2 eggplants (aubergine can be used if you are short on eggplants)
5 + 1 cloves of garlic, peeled and divided
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp tahini paste
2 tbsp lime juice (the juice of 1 lime)
zest from 1 lime
2 tbsp chopped dill
1 tsp kosher salt, adjusted to taste

Directions

1. Cut eggplants in half. Heat over an open flame - such as a barbecue grill - with the skin side down. Continue cooking until the skin is charred.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place eggplant on a baking sheet, skin side down. Create a cup with a piece of aluminum (or aluminium) foil and place 5 pieces of garlic in the cup with oil. Cook until the eggplant skin is soft enough to yield easily to a toothpick. NOTE: when I charred the skin in the previous step, some parts of the flesh were almost soft enough. But, continue cooking all pieces together in the oven anyway...there's no risk of overcooking here.

3. While the eggplant and garlic are roasting, place cumin seeds in a pan on medium heat. Shake the pan to keep the seeds from burning. Remove from heat when the seeds have darkened...about one minute. Grind seeds in a spice grinder (or do what I do: use a coffee grinder that you never use for grinding coffee).

4. Once the eggplant have cooked sufficiently, scoop out the flesh. Pick out and discard any bits of eggplant skin.

5. Grate the remaining (raw) garlic clove. Smash roasted garlic. Combine all ingredients. Adjust salt as needed. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve with pita chips.

 

[Morning Glory]

Baba Ganoush is a fantastic dip. Yes - the skin of the aubergine needs a good char, although it can be made by oven baking. I usually add a little greek yoghurt when I make it and chilli.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Baba Ganoush is a fantastic dip. Yes - the skin of the aubergine needs a good char, although it can be made by oven baking. I usually add a little greek yoghurt when I make it and chilli.

I am actually starting to get serrano peppers grown in my garden. One has reached pinkie-sized and has turned completely red, so I know it will be particularly spicy. I was thinking of adding it to the dip, but I know it would have overpowered it. Instead, I think I'm going to make a hot sauce from the pepper, and then mix some in as I go.

 

[epicuric]

I am actually starting to get serrano peppers grown in my garden. One has reached pinkie-sized and has turned completely red, so I know it will be particularly spicy. I was thinking of adding it to the dip, but I know it would have overpowered it. Instead, I think I'm going to make a hot sauce from the pepper, and then mix some in as I go.

Keeping with the Middle Eastern theme, how about a dip made with roasted red (bell) peppers, with some of your serrano's added. Might be a nice foil to the Baba Ganoush, served alongside?

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Keeping with the Middle Eastern theme, how about a dip made with roasted red (bell) peppers, with some of your serrano's added. Might be a nice foil to the Baba Ganoush, served alongside?

Brilliant idea. I wasn't excited about turning my first serrano - also the first thing grown in my first garden - into a lowly hot sauce, but this sounds excellent. Thank you for putting that idea into my head.