Covid Cooking:: Baba Ganoush

I am no stranger to the deliciously garlicky, lemony, eggplant concoction that is Baba Ganoush.

This Lebanese dip (which is perfect by the way… and I will fight anyone who says that hummus is better), is thick, creamy and fabulous for dipping any sort of veggies or pita bread, or crackers or fingers.. you know, no judging here.

I recently ordered some veggies from my local farm market and ordered eggplants, tomatoes (both a mix of heirloom and cherry/grape) ,cucumbers, eggs and cabbage.  When I ordered the eggplant, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bread them and do an eggplant parmigiana or lasagna, or what.  But once I had them home, I knew exactly what I’d be making!

Seriously, so good.  This dip is  served best at room temperature and it’s suggested to consume it within 3-4 days in your fridge.

I borrowed the recipe from Cookie & Kate’s Epic Baba Ganoush.. and made some changes

Baba Ganoush Recipe  

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants (I used the Italian kind)
• 2 -3 garlic cloves (minced)
• fresh lemon juice (although bottled is perfectly fine)… start with 2 tbsp and go from there
• ¼ cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)
• ⅓ cup olive oil, plus some for brushing the eggplant
• 1 tbsp dried parsley..(you can use fresh, 2 tbsp)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450F and cut the eggplants lengthwise in half. Brush each open eggplant side (lightly) with olive oil. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the middle shelf in your oven.  Roast for 40 minutes.

2.  Once removed from the oven, using a spoon, scrape out the flesh from the skin and put in a colander in the sink.  Let the flesh drain itself of any extra fluid. (See photo below) Let rest for a few minutes while you prep the garlic, lemon, etc.

3.  You can either mix the eggplant and garlic and lemon in a bowl, mash up with a fork, add oil, salt, spices (I kept it basic, but you can add cumin or paprika), but let’s be honest… I wanted mine pretty smooth and the idea of bashing up the eggplant and whatnot is already exhausting after roasting and mincing and watching Netflix.  So,I pulled out my mini 3 cup food processor and whizzed it all up together, adding extra lemon, extra oil, extra salt, just depending on what taste I liked the best!

4. Consume!  Use pita pieces, veggies like carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, peppers, celery (any veggie really) to enjoy!  When not eating, store in the fridge and devour within 3-4 days…if it even lasts that long.

Stay safe, stay home, practice delicious food habits and make something fun!