Traditional Baba Ghanoush Food

BABA GHANNOUJ

Steps:

• Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
• Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.
• Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.

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.

TRADITIONAL BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange oven racks so you have one low and one high in the oven.
• Cut a shallow slit along the side of the eggplant and place into a baking dish.
• Roast in preheated oven on the lower rack until the eggplant is completely shrunken and soft, about 40 minutes. Move dish to higher rack and continue baking until the skin is charred, about 5 minutes more. Let eggplant cool until cool enough to handle.
• Peel and discard skin from eggplant. Put eggplant into a bowl; add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir until ingredients are evenly mixed. Drizzle olive oil over the baba ghanoush and garnish with parsley.

BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Prick the aubergines/eggplant seveeral times with a fork.
• EITHER: Preheat the oven to 375F/190C and roast the aubergines for 30-40 minutes until they are soft and the skin is blackened. OR: Roast the aubergines over a barbecue, turning frequently, until they are soft and the skin is charred.
• Allow the aubergines to cool.
• When cool, half the aubergines, scoop out all their flesh and discard the skins.
• Put the flesh in the food processor with the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and mint, and blitz until the mixture is puréed.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Prick the skin of the eggplant and roast it at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until the eggplant collapses.
• Scoop the flesh out (everything but the skin), and add it to the food processor.
• Add the other ingredients, and pulse until smooth.
• Serve in a pita, or as a dip.
• Note: this can be made without the garbanzos, but I like the flavor and texture they add.
• You can use roasted garlic for a smoother taste - just wrap a head of garlic in aluminum foil and put it in with the eggplant!

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.

CHEF JOHN'S BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Prick the surface of the skin of eggplants several times with the tip of a knife.
• Place eggplants directly on grill. Turn frequently with tongs while skin chars. Cook until eggplants have collapsed and are very soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to cool, about 15 minutes.
• When eggplants are cool enough to handle, split them in half and scrape flesh into a colander placed over a bowl. Drain 5 or 10 minutes.
• Transfer eggplant to mixing bowl. Add crushed garlic and salt; mash until creamy but with a little texture, about 5 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and cayenne pepper. Stir in yogurt.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, 3 or 4 hours. Taste to adjust seasonings. Stir in mint and parsley.