Steve Raichlen's Baba Ganooj

J Appledog

I received e-mail requesting this recipe, so, for those of you who don't have a copy of The Barbecue! Bible, here is Steve Raichlen’s excellent Baba Ganooj recipe:[p]2 long, slender eggplants (about 2 pounds in all)
9 cloves garlic, 8 cut lengthwise in half and 1 minced
2 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste, plus 1 tablespoon for serving
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grilled Pita Chips[p] 1. Preheat the grill to high
2. Using the tip of a paring knife, make 8 small slits in each eggplant and insert a half clove garlic in each slit. Set the eggplants aside.
3. When ready to cook, place the eggplants on the hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until the skin is charred all over and the flesh is very soft,20 to 30 minutes; the eggplant will have lost their firm shape. Transfer the eggplants to a plate to cool.
4. Using a paring knife, scrape the charred skin off the eggplants. Transfer the eggplant flesh to a food processor. add the minced garlic, scallions, tahini, 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice , and salt and pepper & process until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, oil, or lemon juice as necessary; the mixture should be very tangy.
5. Spoon the baba ganooj into a serving bowl and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Scoop up the dip with the pita chips.
Makes about 2 1/4 cups; serves 8 as an appetizer or dip[p]

Ca_rnivore

J Appledog,[p]That's the recipe that I used this past weekend! You had mentioned in a previous post about grilled eggplant in Baba Ganooj, and I figured I'd try it. Twas pretty good, except I couldn't find Tahini, so I used Tehana (a chickpea and sesame seed paste, kinda like hummus). I'm going to do it again with the proper ingredients.[p]Thanks for the inspiration,
Kevin

J Appledog

Ca-rnivore, I was mpretty sure that I'd used a Raichlen recipe - he IS my hero- but it was in the cookbook under a different name. Do you have his cookbook MIAMI SPICE? JCA

Ca_rnivore

J Appledog,[p]Nope, I don't have 'Miami Spice'. It's probably one I should get though. I got the recipe out of 'The Barbeque! Bible'. I think he calls it Mediteranean (sp?) Eggplant dip, but it's subtitled Baba Ganooj. Either way, it's a pretty good dish, easy to fix and pretty tasty. I'll be doing it again.[p]--Kevin