Baba Ghanoush

I have a love affair with hummus.  There is no sandwich, salad, or vegetable that would not taste better with hummus and that's a fact.  While I will always love hummus, I had an unfortunate hummus experience recently.  Although I made the hummus the same way I always do, something was off and it tasted rancid.  I think one of the lemons I used went bad?  Can lemons go bad?!  I don't even know. But the result was so awful I scraped it right from the food processor into the garbage.  So much hard work for nothing.  This incident got me thinking about what else I can make into a rich, creamy spread. While eggplant was not my first guess, I happened to see an eggplant in the grocery store that caught my eye.  It was a large, black beauty and I just had to have it!  I'm not a huge eggplant fan usually, so I had to get creative with how to use it.  That's how this dip was born.

Okay, so I'm not the mastermind behind the creation of Baba Ghanoush.  It is a traditional Levantine dish that consists of mashed eggplant, olive oil, and seasonings.  I tailored mine to be similar to my hummus recipe, with cooked eggplant instead of garbanzo beans.  It's very tasty!  I didn't think anything could come close to hummus, but this Baba Ghanoush gives hummus a run for its money. Normally I'm not a fan of eggplant because of its seeds and thick skin, but this dip removes both of those issues and allows me to enjoy its flavor.

If the similarity to the taste of hummus is not enough to get you to make this, let me tell you about the process of roasting the eggplant.  You get to stab the heck out of a eggplant in order to ensure it doesn't explode while roasting.  It was strangely satisfying stabbing the eggplant: like a large stress pin cushion!

I am convinced that if you mash raw garlic, tahini, lemon, and good quality extra virgin olive oil with any vegetable you'll have yourself a delicious spread.  The roasted eggplant was no exception and this spread is totally worth getting a little messy for!  I first had it with raw veggies before moving to spreading it on sandwiches and even mixing it in with stir-fry as an added flavor boost.  This is one of those multi-purpose spreads that allows you to get creative with your food.

Let's get a closer look at that scrumptious looking stuff...

Perfection!  Fresh from my dish, enjoy this Baba Ghanoush!


Baba Ghanoush
vegan, gluten-free

1 large eggplant
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 Tbsps tahini
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Wash and dry eggplant, then poke holes around the entire vegetable using a fork.  Place on the prepared sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until soft to the touch.  Bake time will depend on the size of your eggplant.

3.  Allow the eggplant to cool, then cut in half and scoop out the flesh.  Remove the seeds.

4.  Add cooked eggplant, garlic, tahini, lemon, and oil to the base of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add spices and process until well blended.  Add water or more oil if you want a thinner consistency.