Baba Ghanoush does not generally achieve the same level of popularity as its close cousin, hummus, but it really is just as good, if not better! During the summer, when eggplants are plentiful, why not try a new dip? Baba ghanoush uses basically the same ingredients as hummus – simply replace chick peas with roasted eggplant.
For this recipe, I decided to do a little twist on traditional baba ghanoush and use roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic. The taste is really deep and rich. Very few people realize how easy it is to roast garlic! I cut the top off a bulb of garlic, exposing the cloves, and drizzle a few drops of olive oil over the top. Wrap the bulb in foil and toss it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let the garlic cool enough to touch it and then you will be able to simply squeeze the garlic right out of the cloves. Incredible.
Coincidentally, when making baba ghanoush, you also need to roast the eggplant for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees so toss them together on the same baking sheet! So simple! To roast the eggplant, I slice it so that I have a stack of 1/2 circles. I sprinkle one side with kosher salt and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet. After about 15 minutes at 400 degrees, I turn them over and roast them for another 15 minutes. When the eggplant has cooled, peel off the skin using your fingers or a fork.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, roasted
2 bulbs garlic, roasted
1/8 cup tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
handful chopped parsley (if you have it on hand)
Directions:
Roast eggplant and garlic. Let cool. Put in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Pulse until smooth. You might want to add more salt, lemon or parsley to taste. Enjoy!
