I'd straight up eat this with a fork, no need for pita bread because it's THAT good. If you've never heard of baba ghannoush, it's a traditional Middle Eastern dip made from eggplant. It's the guacamole of the Middle East basically, but in my opinion, so much more flavorful. If you're an eggplant lover, this dip was made for you. Give it a try at home and see how fast you'll eat it all in one sitting! Let's get to the recipe.
Yields: 4
Prep time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan.
Ingredients:
1. 1 large eggplant or two small ones
2. 2-3 TBSPs tahini
3. Extra virgin olive oil
4. ½ lemon
5. Kosher salt
6. 3 garlic cloves
7. Pomegranate seeds for garnish
8. Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions:
1. First, preheat your oven to 400 or you can choose to grill the eggplant(s).
2. If you're baking the eggplant, place it on the rack and allow it to bake for about 45 minutes-1 hour. If you're grilling the eggplant place it on the cooking grate and allow it to grill for the same amount of time. Before you cook it though, make some holes in the eggplant with a fork.
3. You can tell the eggplant is done once it's softer and looks saggy.
4. Allow the eggplant to cool down a bit and then gently remove the skin of the eggplant until you're left with the mushy interior. You can de-seed the eggplant as well.
5. Place the interior part of the eggplant into a plate and use a fork to mash it well.
6. Now, add 2-3 TBSPS of tahini, 1-2 TBSPS of extra virgin olive oil, and the juice of ½ lemon into that same bowl. Mash the ingredients well together and add a splash of water to help the consistency.
7. Grab a mortar and pestle to crush and grind 3 garlic cloves into a paste. Add a drizzle of olive oil to help do so. Once the garlic looks paste-y add it to the eggplant bowl and mash again.
8. Salt to your liking. Make sure the consistency of the eggplant looks like the picture on the left. It's going to be very thick and creamy.
9. Now to garnish: add fresh chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, and olive oil.
10. Enjoy with pita bread or any vegetable like cucumbers, celery, or carrots!
Xoxo,