WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: When roasted, eggplant flesh becomes concentrated and turns creamy and soft, making the perfect base for baba ghanoush. Before roasting the eggplants, we pricked their skin to encourage moisture to evaporate during cooking, then roasted them whole in a very hot oven until the flesh was very soft and tender. To avoid a watery texture in the finished dish, we scooped the hot pulp into a colander to drain before
processing it. We kept the flavorings simple, processing the eggplant with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and tahini. Look for eggplants with an even shape for this recipe, as bulbous eggplants won’t cook evenly. We prefer to serve baba ghanoush only lightly chilled; if cold, let it stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh warm pita or raw vegetables for dipping. You will need to refrigerate the dip for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Makes: about 2 cups
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling time)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 eggplants (1 pound each), pricked all over with fork
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place eggplants on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning eggplants every 15 minutes, until uniformly soft when pressed with tongs, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Let eggplants cool for 5 minutes on sheet.
- Set colander over bowl. Trim top and bottom ¼ inch of eggplants, then slice eggplants lengthwise. Using spoon, scoop hot pulp into colander (you should have about 2 cups pulp); discard skins. Let pulp drain for 3
minutes. - Transfer drained eggplant to food processor. Add tahini, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pulse mixture to coarse puree, about 8 pulses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to serving bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with extra oil to taste, and sprinkle with parsley before serving. (Dip can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature before serving.)
