Happy Friday! Wheeee! I swear that felt like the longest, most never-ending week of my life. It was one thing after another after another but now... it's the weekend. So guess who is gonna be slacking all weekend long! {Hint: me}. To celebrate, I made you this amazing dip called Baba Ganoush! I'm sure a lot of people have had it before, but I'm willing to bet even more people have never heard of it! It's a smokey, delicious dip made from roasted eggplant and garlic. If you're thinking, "Oh, GROSS I don't even like eggplant," I am here to tell you that this doesn't taste like that! It just tastes like a smoked, better version of hummus. I think hummus is basically the best thing ever, so if I'm telling you that this is even better, you know it has to be something special!
I'd been meaning to make baba ganoush for the longest time, but I kept getting tripped up over recipes asking for tahini... for those of you who aren't familiar, tahini is sesame seed paste! I finally found it earlier this week by the PEANUT BUTTER of all things {and admittedly, it does taste a bit like peanut butter}, and here we are! The fact that I had some sad, abandoned eggplants that I had totally not forgotten about in the fridge might have helped, too. This recipe is so simple and delicious, and while it's a little time-consuming, it's all hands off time so anyone can make this! You broil your eggplants for 10-15 minutes to give them a nice char and smokey flavor, then you finish baking them at a lower temperature until they are soft and creamy and delicious. You let them cool off, then scoop the flesh into a bowl {no burnt eggplant skin, thank you!}, and mix it with tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. Then just grab yourself some pita bread to dunk in and enjoy! This is so great for a casual get-together with friends. Can you imagine? "Oh, yeah, I roasted the eggplants myself and this dip is homemade." You will seriously sound like a chef. YOU'RE WELCOME.
{recipe from Big Girls, Small Kitchen}
baba ganoush
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon tahini {sesame seed paste}
- juice of ½ lemon
- salt and pepper as needed
Instructions
- Turn oven onto 500F broil. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place the eggplants on it.
- Broil the eggplants for 5-10 minutes, until the skin is charred and smokey.
- At this point, remove eggplants from oven, and lower temperature to 400F.
- Poke the eggplants with a fork a few times, then place back in the oven for about 20 more minutes, until the insides are very soft and mushy.
- Cut eggplants in half, and let cool off completely before handling.
- When cooled, use a spoon or fork to scoop out the flesh and place it in a medium bowl. Be sure to leave behind any skin!
- Mash the eggplant pulp with a fork until only small chunks of eggplant remain. Alternatively, you can also puree it in a food processor if you want it very smooth!
- Stir in the tahini, chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm with pita bread or chips, and store leftovers in the refrigerator!
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