Baba Ghanoush

The right spice can add so much flavor to a dish.  Smoked paprika (from the bulk section at Whole Foods) brings out the best in baba ghanoush.  This middle eastern dip can be eaten as a dip with veggies, chips, pita, or toasted bread.  If you wanna be wild and crazy, spread some on your sandwich!

Last week I made baba ghanoush with larger eggplants (or are they regular size?)  This week I made the dip with fairy tale eggplant.  Either one works well, though the fairy tale ones may be a bit more work removing the pulp from the skin.  The extra work is not arduous so plunge in either way.

First pierce the skin with a fork so that as it roasts steam can escape.

Next roast.  Last week I did it on my stovetop (very HOT kitchen idea) this week I decided to give it a go on the grill.  You could also broil the exterior for a few minutes as this food blogger recommends.

Below is what they looked like after 5 minutes.  Be sure to give them space so as to cook evenly.  The fairy tale eggplants roasted about 15-18 minutes on the grill.

The little buddy below exploded, I suppose because I didn't poke enough fork holes in him.  Thankfully he was roasted through so it didn't really matter.

Once cooled, the skin peels off easily.  Discard the skin.

Here's the roasted garlic.  I lopped off the top of a garlic bulb, drizzled it with olive oil then squished foil around it and put it on the grill as well.

 Squish.

 Squishy yummy goodness.

 My bowl of roasted eggplants.

 Transformed into baba ghanoush!

Recipe:
It's hard for me to write a recipe for this because I taste and adjust along the way.  Here's a general outline.

1-2 large roasted eggplants or a bunch of little ones
1 bulb roasted garlic or 1 raw clove
1/4-1/3 cup tahini
1/4+ cup full fat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (found in bulk spice section at Whole Foods and makes a HUGE difference in this recipe.  Go out of your way to procure some.)
1 teaspoon (to taste) salt
drizzle of olive oil - optional

Mash all together with a fork or in a food processor or blender.  Taste and adjust.  Enjoy!
-Julie