Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Daring Dinners: Baba Ganoush

Alright, I will admit that some might not consider baba ganoush a meal; maybe a snack or appetizer. Not me. I could probably eat it anytime of day- breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Even if you make your own or pick up your favorite from the store, it's just too tasty to restrict when, and how much one should eat per day. 
1 medium eggplant
2 cloves minced garlic*
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter**
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sour cream

Roast your eggplant in an oven set at 375. Cut your egglant in half and cut slits along the length, and then drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and place in the oven. Let this roast for about 15-20 minutes- when it is ready the flesh will be soft and will come off the skin easily. Let it cool, and then scoop into a blender. Add in the minced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, and puree until it is smooth.
Add in your seasonings and mix together. Then add in the sour cream, and let your baba ganoush cool. I prefer it the next day as the garlic has had some time to really co-mingle with the other ingredients. Pita chips are the baba ganoush standard, but crusty breads, carrot sticks, and crackers make good vessels as well.

* If you are not a fan of raw garlic, you can give your cloves a nice roast with the eggplant.
**I didn't have tahini on hand so substituted this ingredient with pistachio paste. If you don't have tahini, or have a sesame or nut allergy, this recipe holds up without it.

1 comment:

Just Ma said...

Thanks for the recipe. Have eggplant, tahini, veggies and plan to try some. Keep those recipes coming.
Love, Ma