Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip- BABA GANOUSH

Baba Ganoush is a Middle Eastern veggie dish made of roasted eggplants mixed with spices, lemon juice, and tahini sauce. It is served as a side dish or as a dip with toasted pita wedgies.

Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip- Baba Ganoush

BABA GANOUSH

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed chili peppers

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

3 tbsp tahini

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425*F.

Wash and dry off your eggplant. Prick it with a fork few times and place it on the lower rack that is covered with aluminum foil. After 20 minutes, turn the eggplant and let it "roast" for additional 20 minutes.

- If you have your grill hot and ready, you can grill the eggplant. Grilling will give Baba Ganoush nice smokey flavor.

- If you are in a hurry, you can always microwave the eggplant.

- Those who have gas oven, can char the eggplant over low flame, turning the eggplant frequently. There will be cleaning up to do afterwards, but the charred flavor is the best!

Cut the eggplant lengthwise and let it cool for a while. Discard the skin and scoop all the flash into a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mash with a potato masher to combine everything into a smooth mass. Taste and add salt if needed.

Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and toasted pita wedgies, or as a side dish.

TIP: Last time I made Stuffed Eggplants, I didn't discard the scooped eggplant flesh. I used it to make some Baba Ganoush!

Ingredients:

eggplant flash scooped out of 10 small eggplants

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed chili peppers

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

3 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Wrap eggplant flesh with salt, black pepper, garlic cloves, and crushed chili peppers into aluminum foil. Bake in 425*F preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Transfer the the eggplants into a bowl, add ground coriander, ground cumin, grated garlic clove, parsley,  lemon juice, tahini, and mash all together into a tasty dip.

Note that the dip won't be light in color for eggplant quickly darkens when left in air for some time.

Again, serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and toasted pita wedgies, or as a side dish. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!