Baba Ganoush is a popular dip in Israel and the Middle East, made smoky by charring the eggplant over a hot grill or broiler. Don’t forget the great quality tahini.
Smokin’ Baba
Servings
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves minced with coarse sea salt
- ¼ cup freshly squeeze lemon juice
- 1 cup premium tahini paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ cup ice-cold water
- 1 large eggplant
- ½-1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup Lemon Tahini Sauce
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine the garlic and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk the tahini and cumin into the garlic-lemon mixture until just combined. Don’t worry if it gets thick and grainy. Whisk in the water, ¼ cup at a time, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Set up a grill for high direct heat or turn on the broiler to high.
- Poke the eggplant all over with a fork. If grilling, put the eggplant on the grill grate, close the lid, and grill until the eggplant is charred all over, wrinkled, and soft, about 20 minutes, turning halfway through. If using a broiler, put the eggplant on a broiler pan and position the broiler rack so that the eggplant is as close to the heating element as possible without touching it, and broil until charred and soft, about 20 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Cool the eggplant until you can touch it comfortably. You can wrap it and refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight to make it easier to handle.
- Chop the eggplant so that the skin is in small pieces and the flesh is mushy with just a few strings visible. Stir in the salt, tahini sauce, parsley, olive oil. And lemon juice.
- Serve with warm flatbread or pit chips.
- Reprinted with permission from The Tahini Table by Amy Zitelman, Agate, November 2020.”
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