Burnt Baba Ganoush

Submitted by Eliot L.

"If you're searching for a baba ganoush that has a strong smokey flavor to it, this is the recipe for you. It's is a refinement on a combination of two recipes, and so credit to Mimi Bobeck for her ingredient list and a friend of mine who suggested "cooking the hell out of" the eggplant on a barbeque. And this works as very well. In fact, I learned that it's hard to overcook these things when I had put the eggplant on the grill and promptly forgot about it, for nearly an hour at 475°F! And it worked perfectly."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 2 cups
• Serves: 3-4

ingredients

• 1 -2 eggplant, depending on size
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1⁄4 cup tahini
• 1⁄4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chopped flat leaf parsley

directions

1. Preheat the barbeque to 475°F.
2. Pearce the eggplant in several places with a fork.
3. Bake the eggplant for 45-50 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times.
4. Remove from heat and let cool about 10 - 15 minutes.
5. Remove the skin, and optionally reserve a small portion.
6. Mash the eggplant with a fork. The eggplant should not be stringy.
7. If you want extra smokey, finely chop a bit of the skin.
8. Add tahini and mix, about a tablespoon at a time, to taste.
9. Add remainder of ingredients, except for the olive oil. Depending on the size of the eggplants you will need to add a bit more of the other ingredients. The result should have a half-lumpy/half-creamy consistency.
10. At this point, you can drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the parsley to taste and serve warm. Alternatively, to allow the garlic to blend, I find that setting it aside for a few hours also works well.
11. Spread on a serving plate and serve with pita bread.