"If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your mother told you to." -- Author Unknown

Monday, November 14, 2011

Baba Ghanouj with red peppers


I love baba ghanouj, that creamy and smoky eggplant (aubergine for you Euro-types) dip served in most Mediterranean restaurants. But it had always seemed a little too ambitious for me to try and make it myself - until recently, when we were grilling some other veggies and I had two fat glossy eggplants in the fridge and some sweet red peppers from a local farmer.... as always, I took creative license with the recipe I had. And it turned out wonderfully! I don't think I'll ever buy pre-made baba ghanouj again!
I poked the eggplants with a fork a few times to vent, then rubbed the eggplants with good-quality olive oil. I roasted them on the grill, turning occassionally, until the skins were charred and the eggplant was soft - this took about 25 - 30 minutes. I rubbed the red peppers with olive oil and roasted them about 15 minutes. I also roasted a whole head of garlic with the skins on. When the veggies were cool enough to handle, I rubbed and peeled the skin off using my fingers.
Then:
  • Chop the eggplant flesh coarsely and put in a big bowl. Mash the flesh with a fork until desired consistency. (You can also puree in food processor but I was too lazy to get mine out! Plus I liked the chunky texture of hand-mashed baba ghanouj)
  • Add 1/3 cup tahini, juice from one lemon, about 1/2 teasp salt, and lots of fresh ground black pepper.
  • Chop the red pepper finely; add it and 2 cloves of roasted garlic to the mixture and stir.
  • Drizzle some olive oil on top before serving.
Here's my yummy Mediterranean platter that I had for dinner with some grilled pita bread. Clockwise from top: Baba ghanouj with roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, sauteed spinach, feta cheese, and chopped tomatoes.

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