Smoky Baba Ganoush
This smoky and tangy dip is a welcome addition to any party.
Ingredients
- 4-5 eggplants (small-to-medium sized )
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3-4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, (squeezed from 1-2 lemons)
- Salt & freshly ground pepper, (to taste)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, (chopped, for garnish (optional))
Instructions
- Preheat outdoor grill to 550F. You want the grill grates to be very, very hot.
- Take the whole eggplants and cook them on the grill, rotating every few minutes to ensure an even blackening around the entire skin of the eggplant.
- You want the eggplants to be so cooked that the flesh provides zero resistance when pressed with a spoon or set of tongs.
- Once the eggplants are completely blackened all over, remove them from the grill and place into a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove the skin from the eggplants, carefully reserving the flesh. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the flesh and discard the liquid.
- Using an immersion blender, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, eggplant flesh, minced garlic, tahini, and lemon zest.
- Mix until the dip is completely smooth, adding more olive oil if the dip is too dry.
- Taste the mixture and adjust salt, black pepper, and lemon to taste. If you prefer, garnish with freshly chopped parsley before serving.
- Serve with pita bread triangles, or with carrot sticks and red pepper strips.
Notes
You can make this dip in advance and serve it cold.