Okay, so we all know hummus. We’ve made it a few times here and it’s delicious but it’s the not end all be all of dips right? It’s nice that it’s so popular and you can find it at almost any decent grocery store and as an appetizer on most restaurant menus. It’s popular. This, however, is a culinary journey and we must sally forth!
Enter baba ganoush. I’ve had this many times out but the prospect of making it at home always seemed daunting to me. I guess I just didn’t know how to work with the whole eggplant. I remember once in college someone told me to roast an eggplant and eat it and it would be awesome. Well, that was back before I knew anything about cooking and also they conveniently forgot to mention poking holes in it. It turned out to be a disaster and the concept of roasting eggplant has scared me ever since. Thankfully this dish helped me get over my fear.
I used my grill because, hey, I love the thing and almost anything that comes off it takes wonderful. You poke holes in the eggplant and roast it until it’s ultra soft. You then cut it, put it in the processor and basically make hummus. It really couldn’t be easier.
Baba Ganoush is a delicious appetizer and a fun variation on hummus. The grill really makes this easy to accomplish and lends great flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small handful parsley
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- salt
- pepper
- olives (garnish)
Instructions
- In a pan over low heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind until fine.
- Heat grill to medium heat. Poke holes all over eggplants and when the grill is hot, add eggplants and cook until very soft, turning occasionally, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove eggplants from grill and allow to rest until they are cool enough to work with.
- Half eggplants and scoop insides into a food processor.
- Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
- Taste and add additional ingredients as necessary. Garnish with olives and a drizzle of good olive oil.
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- Most of the ingredients
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- Grilling
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- Resting
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- Processing
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- Finished dish
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- Baba Ganoush
shelley
July 19, 2012 at 9:13 am
This is actually something I’d be bold enough to try!
Site’s really coming along Vin!