baba ganoush

When I was a kid, I used to HATE eggplant. I am not sure if this was me being rebellious or if my taste buds were transitioning, but I just could not/would not eat it. Over the years, I have developed a liking to the vegetable. While I would not call it my favorite food to eat, I would not kick it off my dinner plate.

In the past I have prepared grilled eggplant and eggplant parmesan (breaded with a red sauce). This is my first attempt at making baba ganoush. It is actually quite simple....and delicious. Below is a pretty simple recipe I got from the Joy of Cooking (a classic and very versatile cookbook for anybody wanting to learn more about food - it should be a staple in any cook's kitchen).

• 3 eggplants
• 2-3 tablespoons tahini (less if you are my dad, more if you are Rachael)
• 1-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10-12 sliced black olives
• the juice of 1-2 lemons
• 1-2 cloves of garlic (be careful, it is raw and can be overpowering)
• 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

You can either roast the eggplants over an open flame for a few minutes to get the smokey flavor and then put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour or put them directly in the oven for the full time.

I just put them in the oven for the full time (I may try cooking them over an open flame next time). I left the eggplants in the oven for an hour -- I wanted to make sure that they cooked all the way through.

Next, let the eggplants cool and then slice them down the middle. With a spoon, scoop out the insides onto either a dish or a colander. This is important -- with paper towels, dry the insides (othewise you will have wet and mushy baba ganoush -- nobody wants that).

Place the garlic in the food processor and turn it on until it is minced. Transfer the eggplant to the food processor and pulse the eggplant 8-10 times. Add the lemon juice, tahini, and salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Taste to make sure that there is sufficient lemon juice, salt, and pepper (tasting the food during the preparation process is they key to making sure that it is well seasoned -- unless you are cooking with raw meat or eggs, you should always taste during the cooking process)

Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it in a bowl. Garnish with the parsley and sliced black olives. Drizzle the olive oil on top and serve!

Enjoy!