Week 9: Baba Ghanoush + Toasted Pita Chips
Published by Emily,
Happy March! I can't believe it’s been two whole months and I haven’t made an ethnic dish yet. My sister-in-law texted me Sunday afternoon recommending I make hummus or baba Ghanoush. I went with the latter because I love saying (but not trying to spell) ‘Baba Ghanoush'. As usual, she recommended yet another fantastic dish. I was so glad my stuffy nose cleared before this because there were so many beautiful aromas in this recipe.
Hands down, the hardest part of this recipe was finding the Tahini. I must have gone up and down every aisle at the grocery store at least three times. I probably should’ve given up when the store manager said he wasn’t sure they carried it. But after 45 dizzying, relentless minutes, I finally found some organic Tahini sandwiched between a shelf of mustard and canned water chestnuts. Other than that… and the few minutes it took to clean up the cumin I spilled on myself, this recipe was straight forward and very refreshing. It was even better after being refrigerated overnight and fantastic served with oven-toasted pita chips. I did contemplate making my own pita bread, but I had a night class and was turned off by the 3 hour prep time. Maybe next time?
RECIPE (adapted from inspiredtaste.net)
INGREDIENTS
1 large eggplant (or two medium ones)
1/4 cup organic tahini
half a lemon, juiced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
a pinch of sea salt
1/8 tsp paprika or cajun/creole spice
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
Olive oil to drizzle (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to broil
Place eggplant(s) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Poke holes in the eggplant with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Broil each side of the eggplants for about 2 minutes until the skin has darkened.
Lower heat to 375F and roast the eggplants for about 30 minutes (until soft). Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
(For the toasted pita bread: at the 15 minute mark, cut the pitas into slices, drizzle with olive oil, black pepper, and a pinch of salt and bake them in the oven w/ the eggplants for about 12 minutes).
Mix the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.
Split and drain the eggplant juices. Next, using a spoon, scrape the eggplant flesh from the skin and add it to the tahini mixture.
Blend the mixture (or mash it with a fork if you’d like a thicker texture) on low for a few seconds to a creamy but textured consistency.
Top with paprika, parsley and an optional drizzle of olive oil.
Place eggplant(s) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Poke holes in the eggplant with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Broil each side of the eggplants for about 2 minutes until the skin has darkened.
Lower heat to 375F and roast the eggplants for about 30 minutes (until soft). Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
(For the toasted pita bread: at the 15 minute mark, cut the pitas into slices, drizzle with olive oil, black pepper, and a pinch of salt and bake them in the oven w/ the eggplants for about 12 minutes).
Mix the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.
Split and drain the eggplant juices. Next, using a spoon, scrape the eggplant flesh from the skin and add it to the tahini mixture.
Blend the mixture (or mash it with a fork if you’d like a thicker texture) on low for a few seconds to a creamy but textured consistency.
Top with paprika, parsley and an optional drizzle of olive oil.
Enjoy!