Baba Ganoush

I like Baba Ganoush, but when I buy it at the grocery store, or even from many restaurants, it tends to have too much garlic and oil for my taste, so it's more like some kind of strong mayonnaise. Luckily, it's really easy to make, and way better than anything you will get elsewhere.

There are a million recipes for Baba Ganoush out there, but they all have basically the same core ingredients. I start with about 4 medium sized eggplants, but if the big ones are all that you can find, use one of those. I grill it direct at 350º to 400º, turning every 8-10 minutes until the skin is completely charred. Don't cook it at a really high temperature, because you want the insides to cook while the skin is charring. Medium sized eggplants take 20-30 minutes, and large ones take 40-45 minutes to cook through. Test them with a fork before removing from the grill.


Once they are soft all the way through, remove from the grill and let cool for a few minutes. Then remove the tops, and peel the skin. The skin is easier to remove than the charred skin from a red pepper, so this is very quick and easy. I don't worry about leaving a few bits of charred skin behind.



Put the skinned eggplants in a bowl and mash them with a fork. At this point add a tablespoon of tahini (two if you like tahini), the juice from half a lemon, and a small clove of crushed garlic. Mash all this together, adjust for salt, and then serve on pita, or toast, or as a vegetable dip. This recipe can be fine tuned very easily for any preference, and it's really good.