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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Baba Ganoush

A perfect balance between the bitter taste of sesame, the creaminess of eggplant pulp, and the smokiness of the charred skin...
makes this mezze something I could eat by the spoonful.
Every bite I take, I close my eyes and let myself be transported to Lebanon, or at least my imagination of Lebanon.
 Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants
3 cloves garlic, skin on
1 clove garlic, naked
125g tahini (1 1/4 cup)
juice from 2 lemons
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
garnish:
1 Tbsp EVOO per serving
some fresh parsley
some black and white sesame seeds
a sprinkle of za'tar
Directions:
1.  Grill the eggplants about 5 minutes on an open flame.  If you don't have a gas stove (I don't) use the oven broiler until the skin blisters and blackens.  It took me about 15 minutes and I flipped them once.
2.  Lower the oven heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for another 20 minutes with the skin on garlic.  The eggplants should be soft when poked with no resistance whatsoever.   Then let cool as to not burn yourself.
3.  Scrape the flesh out of the eggplant and blend with tahini, lemon juice, salt, and chili powder.  It will taste like heaven warm, but try to hold out until the next day (or at least a few hours) so it has time to sit in the fridge.

Serve by making a pool of EVOO in the center and sprinkling the rest of the garnish around the pool.
Use as a dip for pita, cucumber, and various other veggies or dippable items.  I think I'm going to have it for breakfast tomorrow... or as a spread in a chicken sandwich.  Or just sneak into the fridge and finish it off by itself....

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