Different name, fashion's the same: Styledash is now the StyleList Blog!

Recipe: Baba Ghanouj, aka Eggplant and I are an "item"

sarah's baba ghanouj
At the start of every summer, I do this. I tell myself I am going to make all kinds of new foods with the summer's produce bounty, particularly vegetables that I have never cooked myself before. Like a high school girl on summer vacation between sophomore and junior year, I want to flirt with all different kinds of vegetables that I find randomly at the farmers' markets!

Um, never mind about that "high school girl on summer vacation" part. I took college prep classes during the summers...

Anyway, at the start, I always tell myself I want to expand my cooking horizons by challenging myself with something new in the kitchen every day, or even every week, and I always end up having one long torrid affair with one vegetable every summer. One summer I was enamored of zucchini. The summer before that, I was having a hot fling with every kind of tomato I could get my hands on. This year, I've been seeing eggplant. A lot. In fact, you might call us "an item."

Eggplant is one of my ATF vegetables (that's All Time Favorite for those of you who don't speak Slashfoodian). However, I have most often eaten it in its small slender format, the Japanese eggplant, and in Asian preparations -- stir-fried with other vegetables or steamed and served with a sticky sweet sauce. Obviously, I've also had eggplant in its many Italian preparations, most notably, a vegetarian lasagne. I swear I could live on eggplant.

As much as I love eating eggplant, though, I have not cooked much with it. I am well aware of its versatility in the kitchen, so this summer, I am all about eggplant. In fact, I plan on making ratatouille right before going to see the movie. But for now, I''m doing my go-to recipe for eggplant, baba ghanouj.

Baba ghanouj is really just the Middle Eastern version of an eggplant dish that's also found in other Mediterranean cuisines like Greek (melitzanosalata). Eggplant is either roasted or grilled, then mashed with different spices depending on the cuisine, and served with some sort of bread. This is my recipe, which started from a basic one I found in the Joy of Cooking, and transformed over the years to suit my tastes.

Sarah's Baba Ghanouj
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash, dry, and slice eggplants (about 2 pounds) lengthwise. Place cut-side down in rimmed baking sheet that has a generous coating of olive oil. Roast in oven for about 45 minutes.

(As a side note, I also toss a whole head of garlic in the oven to roast, either to use with the baba ghanouj, or for later. May as well make good use of all that heat.)

Scrape the eggplant flesh into a mesh strainer set over a bowl or the sink, let it cool, or if you have asbestos for finger, go ahead and press down on it to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. There will be a lot. Toss the juice. I have no idea what you could use roasted eggplant juice for.

Pulse 2 cloves of fresh garlic in a food processor until minced, then add eggplant pulp, several cloves of the roasted garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp tahini, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, a pinch of cumin. Puree.

Salt and pepper to taste, then serve with warm pita bread.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tip of the Day

A jar of honey can become a sticky mess. Next time you're adding honey to another dish or a mug of tea, use a honey dipper to prevent a thick gooey layer from spreading.

Slashfood Features


Seasons
Spring (19)
Summer (192)
Fall (13)
Winter (2)
What is it?
Beef (561)
Bread (46)
Candy (463)
Cheese (475)
Chocolate (784)
Comfort Food (652)
Condiments (232)
Dairy (520)
Eggs (270)
Fish (333)
Fruit (957)
Grains (605)
Meat (276)
Nuts/seeds (290)
Pork (340)
Poultry (399)
Rice (22)
Shellfish (153)
Soups/Salads (57)
Spices (298)
Sugar (404)
Vegetables (1221)
Holidays
Christmas (68)
Easter (20)
Halloween (40)
Hanukkah (9)
New Year's (11)
St. Patrick's Day (13)
Thanksgiving (50)
Valentine's Day (32)
Memorial Day (13)
Mother's Day (32)
Passover (7)
News
Artisan Foods (78)
Bakeries (134)
Books (744)
Business (1165)
Celebrities (90)
Coffee shops (180)
Farming (402)
Fast Food (249)
Food News (139)
Health & Medical (768)
How To (1240)
Lists (745)
Local Eating (76)
Magazines (462)
New Products (1395)
Newspapers (1519)
On the Blogs (2276)
Raves & Reviews (1077)
Recipes (2138)
Restaurants (1296)
Science (696)
Site Announcements (175)
Stores & Shopping (939)
Television/Film (570)
Trends (1292)
Vegetarian/Vegan (52)
Features
Cheese Course (11)
Diary of a Distiller (16)
Guilty Pleasures (43)
Raising the Bar (16)
Tip of the Day (116)
Wild Edibles (20)
Alt-SlashFood (42)
Back to School (14)
Brought to you by the letter D (37)
Cocktail Hour (26)
Cookbook of the Day (446)
Cooking Live with Slashfood (80)
Cooking Without a Recipe (3)
Culinary Kids (228)
Did you know? (445)
Fall Flavors (124)
Feast Your Eyes (110)
Food Gadgets (467)
Food Oddities (905)
Food Porn  (876)
Food Quest (170)
Foodie Flicks (7)
Frugal Food (75)
Garden Party (26)
Grilled Cheese Day (34)
Hacking Food (107)
Happy Hour (210)
Head to Tail (37)
in sixty seconds (438)
Ingredient Spotlight (27)
Leftovers  (46)
Light Food (182)
Liquor Cabinet (165)
Lush Life (225)
Our Bloggers (22)
Pizza Day (40)
Pop Food (146)
Pumpkin Day (10)
Real Kitchens (76)
Retro cookery (123)
Sandwich Day (32)
Slashfood Ate (122)
Slashfood Bowl 2008 (17)
Slashfood Challenge (1)
Slashfood Talks (4)
Slow cooking (51)
Spirit of Christmas (174)
Spirit of Summer (178)
Spirited Cooking Day (29)
Spring Cleaning (23)
Steak Day (19)
Super Bowl XLII (73)
Super Size Me (117)
The Best ... in All of New York (14)
The History of... (68)
What Time Is It?
Breakfast (700)
Dessert (1250)
Dinner (1313)
Hors D'oeuvres (287)
Lunch (950)
Snacks (1066)
Where Is It?
America (2341)
Europe (461)
France (138)
Italy (150)
Asia (503)
Australia (149)
British Isles (846)
Caribbean (36)
Central Africa (7)
East Coast (555)
Eastern Europe (42)
Islands (52)
Mediterranean (130)
Mexico (15)
Middle East (55)
Midwest Cities (222)
Midwest Rural (69)
New Zealand (62)
North America (78)
Northern Africa (20)
Northern Europe (65)
South Africa (30)
South America (92)
South Asia (123)
Southern States (206)
West Coast (912)
What are you doing?
Baking (729)
Barbecuing (100)
Boiling (127)
Braising (18)
Broiling (33)
Frying (172)
Grilling (178)
Microwaving (33)
Roasting (85)
Slow cooking (25)
Steaming (45)
Choices
 (0)
Fairtrade (10)
Additives
Artificial Sugars (36)
High-fructose corn syrup (14)
MSG (7)
Trans Fats (57)
Libations
Hot chocolate (24)
Soda (156)
Spirits (352)
Beer (329)
Brandy (4)
Champagne (81)
Cocktails (403)
Coffee (356)
Gin (104)
Juice (120)
Liqueurs (53)
Non-alcoholic (19)
Rum (85)
Teas (172)
Tequila (11)
Vodka (150)
Water (85)
Whisky (99)
Wine (592)
Affairs
Celebrations (44)
Closings (9)
Festivals (32)
Holidays (238)
Openings (40)
Parties (200)
Tastings (139)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

Featured Galleries

I scream, you scream...
Food delivery at its finest
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 16 - A whole world of pear
Handpresso pics
Chasing the wild mushroom: Part Four - Hitting the jackpot
Chasing the wild mushroom: Part Three- B
Chasing the wild mushroom: Part Three- A
Chasing the wild mushroom: Part Two - Through the woods-B
Chasing the wild mushroom: Part Two - Through the woods-A
Wild Edibles: Kousa Dogwood Fruit
Krispy Kreme burgers from around the world
 

Sponsored Links

Most Commented On (60 days)

Sites We Love

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Also on AOL