Lebanese Baba Ghanoush Food

LEBANESE MEZZA DISHES: FATTOUSH, HOUMMUS, BABA GHANNOUJ

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix all dressing ingredients well.
• Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 to 1 cup dressing. Serve immediately.
• Drain and dry chick peas. Put garlic in food processor and mince. Add chick peas and mince, scraping down the sides. Add salt, tahini and lemon juice. Mix. Taste. Add enough reserve chick pea juice to make a thick creamy consistency. You should be able to make an indentation in the hummus with a back of a spoon. Check taste again for additional lemon or salt.
• Serve on a platter and garnish with radishes, tomato roses, reserve chick peas, parsley and or cayenne pepper. Serve with olive oil and fresh pita bread.
• Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and put upside down on a greased foil lined pan. Put under a broiler until the outside skin is charred black and the pulp inside is soft (15 to 30 minutes). Scrape out eggplant and put in bowl to cool, preferably in refrigerator for several hours. Pour off extra liquid before using.
• In a food processor, mince garlic, and scrape down sides. Add eggplant, salt, and 1/4 cup tahini. Pulse the food processor to mix. Slowly add lemon juice. Taste. Adjust salt and lemon or tahini.
• Serve on a shallow platter and garnish with chopped parsley, miniature eggplant, tomato or radish roses. Serve with Lebanese pita bread.

CLASSIC BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F. Cut each eggplant in half vertically and place on sheet pan. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes until very soft.
• Let eggplants cool before handling. Scoop eggplant flesh out of skins into bowl of a food processor. Add lemon juice, tahini, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Serve with pita bread or pita chips.

LEBANESE BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Grill the whole aubergines, turning them frequently until the skin blackens and blisters. Remove the peel, chop roughly and leave to drain in a colander.
• Squeeze as much liquid out of teh aubergines and place in a processor. Addd the garlic, tahini, ground almonds, lemon juice and cumin, season to taste and process to a smooth paste. Rough chop half of the mint leaves and stir into the dip.
• Spoon dip into a bowl and scatter remaining leaves and the olive oil on top. Serve with toasted pitta bread.

BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Place eggplant directly on a gas burner and roast over medium-low heat. Turn until charred and blistered all over, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, place in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 minutes (this will make it easier to remove the charred skin).
• When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove to a cutting board, make a cross-cut to open, and scoop out 1 cup of the flesh into another bowl. Add a pinch of salt and ¼ cup Basic Tahini Sauce and mix. Grate in about ¼ teaspoon garlic, followed by the olive oil, and mix again. Garnish with more Basic Tahini Sauce, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, salt, sumac, parsley, and more olive oil, and serve. (Note: Video for how to make the Basic Tahini Sauce can be found in Michael Solomonov's Hummus recipe.) To make the Basic Tahini Sauce: Break up the head of garlic with your hands, letting the unpeeled cloves fall into a blender. Add the lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend on high for a few seconds until you have a coarse purée. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the garlic can mellow.Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large mixing bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add the tahini to the bowl, along with the cumin and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk the mixture until smooth; the sauce will lighten in color. Whenever the tahini seizes up or tightens, add ice water bit by bit (about 1.5 cups in total), whisking energetically until you have a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce.

BABA GANOUSH

Steps:

• Heat the grill to its highest setting. Put the aubergines on a baking sheet and grill for 35-40 mins or until completely softened, blackened and blistered, turning them halfway through with a pair of tongs. Set aside and leave to cool completely.
• Once your aubergines are cool enough to handle, gently peel off the charred skin and discard. Transfer the flesh to the large bowl of a food processor along with 30ml of the oil, the coriander, cumin, tahini, lemon and half the parsley. Season and pulse the flesh three or four times to create a chunky textured dip.
• Transfer the dip to a bowl and drizzle with the remaining oil, scatter over any leftover parsley and serve with warm flatbreads or pitta.