Baba Ganoush
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
6
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Course
Appetizer
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Cuisine
Middle Eastern, Lebanese
Baba Ganoush
Description
The recipe begins by oven-roasting halved eggplants and whole garlic cloves at high temperature until the eggplants become very tender and the garlic skins brown. After cooling, the soft eggplant flesh is carefully scooped out and drained in a fine mesh strainer to remove excess water, which helps concentrate the texture and flavor.
Combined with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and optionally cumin, the baba ganoush becomes a creamy dip with a subtle nutty and tangy profile. The roasting imparts a mild smoky note that defines the dish's character. Fresh parsley adds brightness, while a pinch of smoked paprika on top provides additional color and flavor contrast.
Traditionally served with warm pita wedges alongside fresh vegetable sticks like cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, snap peas, broccoli, and cauliflower, it makes an adaptable appetizer or snack that pairs well with various accompaniments.
Ingredients
- 3 eggplant about 2 pounds, medium Italian
- 3 garlic skins on, cloves
- 1/4 cup tahini
- tahini homemade
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin optional, ground
- 2 tablespoons parsley plus extra for garnish, finely chopped, fresh
- smoked paprika pinch
- pita for serving, warmed pita wedges, cucumber slices, bell pepper strips, carrot sticks, snap peas, broccoli and cauliflower florets
- cucumber
- bell pepper
- carrot
- snap pea
- broccoli
- cauliflower
Instructions
- Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking. Poke the eggplants all over with the tines of a fork, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, lightly brush the eggplant halves with olive oil, and place each half on the parchment paper with the cut side down. Place the garlic (with skin on) next to the eggplants. The garlic will be done before the eggplant; remove as soon as the skins are browned, 15-20 minutes, and remove/discard their skins. Continue to roast the eggplants until they are extremely tender, another 20-30 minutes (depending on size of eggplant). Remove the eggplant from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then turn the halves over and use a spoon to scrape all of the flesh out (discard the skins). Place the flesh in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl for about 20 minutes so that the excess water in the eggplant can drain. This step is critical for avoiding a sopping wet dip. You can also press down a bit on the flesh to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid.
- Place the eggplant, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and salt in a food processor and process until fairly smooth but not completely pureed, scraping the mixture down from the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt as desired. Continue to process until the mixture is smooth or just the slightest bit chunky, however you prefer (traditionally baba ganoush is not completely smooth, it has a bit of texture). Stir in the chopped parsley.*A note about salt: Eggplant is naturally bitter and adding a generous amount of salt not only improves the flavor of the dip but helps curb the bitterness of the eggplant.
- Transfer the baba ganoush into a serving bowl. With the back of a spoon, make a swirl in the top of the baba ganoush, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika and parsley. Serve immediately with toasted pita wedges, flatbread, or your favorite crunchy vegetables.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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