Baba Ganoush

I'm a bit late in sharing this recipe with you all.  I had made this several weeks ago when eggplants were still coming in my CSA share, but finishing up the post somehow fell through the cracks. Better late than never I suppose!

Hummus has always been my go to homemade dip, but now that it is pretty much as ubiquitous as salsa, I do tire of it after a while. While baba ganoush is a bit more complex to make (as complex as roasting an eggplant can be...) it makes for a nice change. The ingredients are pretty much the same as hummus, but the eggplant gives this dip a lighter texture and flavor than you get with chickpeas. 

For this recipe I had some nice plump "Italian" type eggplants, but this will work well with pretty much any type. Be aware that if you find yourself using a bunch of small eggplants, they will need less roasting time, so use the time given here as a guideline and keep an eye on things and remove from the oven when the skin is wrinkly and the flesh is very soft.

Adapted from Simply Recipes

2 lbs of eggplants
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs tahini
1-2 garlic cloves (to your taste), minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tbs lemon juice
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Poke the eggplants in several places with the tines of a fork then cut in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Separate the eggplant's flesh from the skin and place into a food processor (discard the skin). Pulse the processor a few times to start breaking down the eggplant then add in the garlic, remaining olive oil (about 2 tbs), tahini, cumin, lemon juice, salt, and a pinch of cayenne.

Continue to pulse the food processor until everything is just combined, but the mix is still a bit chunky. If you prefer a smooth baba ganoush (as I have made here) you can continue to run the processor until completely smooth. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Garnish with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of cumin before serving.