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December 26, 2017
One of the best parts about Middle Eastern food is that you can fill up (and then some) on “appetizers” alone. Mezze-style eating is one of my favorite things, both because of the variety of dishes and because of the communal style of eating. To me there is nothing better than sharing plates and plates of appetizers among friends. It gives ample opportunity to serve and be served by others as people pass plates around or take turns dipping into a bowl. Anyone who has read other blogs by me knows that the foundations my life are built upon bread. As such, I really enjoy mezze I can dip into.
While hummus might be more famous, I really enjoy dipping into a nice bowl of Baba Ghanouj. Baba Ghanouj is made from mixing mashed roasted eggplants with tahini paste and roasted garlic. It is served cold with pita, but there are many variations to try from. I’ve had some that has some added sugar for a little sweetness, and even tried some with roasted peppers. There are many different varieties and like most dishes people have their own way of preparing them. There is no better eating than with my friend Rania’s family, so I asked her to let me in on her recipe so I can share it with you! While it is not strictly necessary, having a food processor makes this job a lot easier. According to Rania, the most important aspect of preparing Baba Ghanouj is getting the right balance of flavors. This is a dish that you have to keep tasting regularly as you prepare and adjust accordingly. While I enjoy this recipe as is, it can be augmented to fit any palate.
-2 medium Aubergines (eggplant)
-1/3 cup of light tahini paste
-2 juiced lemons
-3 cloves of garlic (hope you love garlic)
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. cumin
-Extra virgin olive oil
Optional
-a pinch of red pepper
-a sprinkle of paprika (smoked or otherwise)
To begin with, you will need to roast both the aubergines and garlic. This is a very important step to get the proper base flavors. Remember to remove the skin from the roasted eggplant before starting the recipe!
To roast the aubergines, preheat the oven to 240C and wash and cut aubergines in half lengthways. Place skin side down on baking tray. Bake about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and scoop aubergine out of the skin. Optionally you can roast the aubergines over an open flame for a smokier Baba Ghanouj.
To roast the garlic, remove the outer layer of the bulb and then cut ¼’’ off the top of the bulb. I suggest making little aluminum foil squares to put the bulbs in. Once the bulbs are placed in the squares, drizzle 2 tsps of olive oil on each bulb. Place in oven and roast for 30-35 minutes or until garlic cloves soften. When properly roasted, cloves should come out of their shells with a spoon easily.
Mix the roasted eggplant and garlic together with the tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Using a fork, mash together the mixture in order to break up all the garlic, eggplant, and tahini. This can also be done using a food processor.
Taste and adjust flavorings accordingly. When ready to serve, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
If you roast the aubergines over an open flame, my suggestion would be to use regular paprika rather than smoked paprika, because Baba Ghanouj can become very smoky, very quickly. While it is an interesting taste, I prefer my Baba Ghanouj to be on the less smoky side.
Serve with fresh pita bread for an authentic taste, but between you and me you can use this like any other dip, eating it with any number of breads, crackers, and chips. Another suggestion is if you are going to be eating with a large number of people double recipe and make both smoky and regular Baba Ghanouj so everyone can enjoy the varied flavors. If you want to serve it chilled, place the Baba Ghanouj in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until ready to serve.