Baba Ganouj - Eggplant Dip With Sesame Oil
"Middle Eastern eggplant and sesame dip/spread. This is my variation of my father's recipe."
photo by Rita1652
- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Yields:
-
6 cups
ingredients
- 2 medium dark-skinned eggplants (pierced with fork to let steam escape)
- 4 -5 garlic cloves, to taste
- 6 tablespoons tahini (Arabic sesame paste)
- 4 lemons, juice of
- 2 tablespoons water
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 dash hot red pepper, to taste (cayenne)
- chopped parsley (for garnish) (optional)
- toasted pine nuts (for garnish) (optional)
- pomegranate seeds (for garnish) (optional)
directions
- Broil eggplants with skin on, turning frequently, until skin is lightly charred and eggplants are fairly soft.
- Alternately, slice eggplants in half lengthwise and place on an oiled cookie sheet.
- Broil in oven or bake at 450oF until fairly soft.
- Allow to cool enough to be handled.
- Remove most of skin, and mash eggplant.
- If you don't mind a little grayness in the color, allow a little charred skin in with the pulp; it will add a pleasant smoky flavor.
- Fit food processor with steel blade.
- With machine running, drop in garlic cloves.
- Add tahini, lemon juice, and water; blend until thoroughly combined.
- Add eggplant, and pulse until coarsely pureed.
- Add salt and red and black pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours for flavor to develop.
- Adjust seasonings, including tahini if desired.
- Garnish with parsley, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds as desired.
- Serve with pita bread or veggies.
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Reviews
-
Yum! This is a great alternative to hummus. I had fun making it work in my blender, since I don't have a food processor (though I had to add more liquid in order to get it to blend properly). The garnishes are a good idea, since baba ganouj ends up looking a bit unappetizing, even if it tastes great!! -
Tasty! Though I would lessen the amount of tahini. And I did only use 4 tablespoons I thought it was a bit overpowering. The garlic was perfect. My lemons were very large so I used 3 which was strong with lemon as well. I added cumin and cilantro after tasting it without and enjoyed it very much with them added. The cumin added a nice smokey taste and the cilantro added a very fresh flavor. Topping it with pomegrante seeds is a nice touch. Hope you enjoy the picture.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Toby Jermain
Houston, TX
I WAS retired oilfield trash since 1999, who has lived in Houston TX for the last 25 years, though I'm originally from California. I'm Texan by choice, not by chance! I am now working in Algeria 6 months a year, so I guess that gives new meaning to the term SEMI-retired. I grew up in restaurants and worked in them for 13 years while getting through high school and college, working as everything from dishwasher to chef, including just about everything in between. At odd intervals I also waited tables and tended bar, which gave me lots of incentive to stay in school and get my engineering degree.
During the 33 years since, I have only cooked for pleasure, and it HAS given me a great deal of pleasure. It's been my passion. I love to cook, actually more than I love to eat. I read cookbooks like most people read novels.
My wife and I both enjoy cooking, though she isn't quite as adventurous as I am. I keep pushing her in that direction, and she's slowly getting there.
We rarely go out to eat, because there are very few restaurants that can serve food as good as we can make at home. When we do go out, it's normally because we are having an emergency junk-food attack.
My pet food peeves are (I won't get into other areas): are people who post recipes that they have obviously NEVER fixed; obvious because the recipe can't be made because of bad instructions, or that are obvious because it tastes horrible. I also detest people who don't indicate that a recipe is untried, even when it is a good recipe. Caveat emptor!
