Baba Ghanouj

Super smooth Baba Ghanouj

Baba Ghanouj is a middle eastern Mezze dish, it's a dip consisting of smokey eggplant and tahini along with lemon and garlic.. it's one of those recipes I don't make too often and always wonder why when I finally  get around to whipping up a batch.

Today's variation is the Hareesa olive oil (from Olive That!) and Aleppo pepper garnish which add a touch of spice and colour!

Start by adding one of two large eggplants on the BBQ, it's easy to just brown/roast them on the grill.  I punched a bunch of slits in them with a sharp paring knife and let it do it's thing while I grilled up some meat.

Now it all depends on how long you want to roast it but personally I like to really char the skin and caramelize the layer of eggplant under the skin until it's almost sweet.  I'm also partial to removing the seeds, and they come out easy if you just cut it open with a knife, flatten it out and pull out the seed pods that are kind of evenly spaced from core to outer wall of the eggplant. Do this when it's cooked of course.

Separate the skin from the flesh by gently peeling or scrapping it away and add all the flesh to a blender.

In a separate bowl I whisk tahini with a bit of water until it's smooth and add 3 cloves of smashed garlic with juice of 2 lemons and a sprinkling of salt.
Add as much of this tahini sauce into the blender as desired and whip as chunky of smooth as your preference. I like a smoother dip.

Adjust the seasoning and enjoy with pita!