Or baba ganoush or baba ghanoush. Baba ganouj is a first cousin to hummus dip (mashed spicy chickpeas), but with eggplant as the base. For shmearing on pita wedges or vegetable sticks. Mollie Katzen in Still Life With Menu likes it as a pasta sauce.
Any kind of eggplant works; the common jumbo globe has the least seeds, according to Cooks Illustrated. Toasting then grinding sesame seeds tastes better than store-bought tahini (sesame butter).
- Around 2 pounds eggplant
- 2-4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds OR tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. Heat 8- to 10-inch skillet on medium for 4 minutes.
Wash eggplant, trim off stems and slice in half, pole to pole. (Leave small or long eggplants whole.) Place on cookie sheet, cut side down, and bake 45 minutes. Or the eggplant can be grilled, skin side down, watching carefully, in less time (the smoky flavor is great but it’s more trouble). Garlic, unpeeled, can be roasted on the cookie sheet for the last 20 minutes, then pulp squeezed out. Or peel raw garlic and reserve.
Toast sesame seeds in skillet for 2-4 minutes, until about half of the seeds have darkened to light to medium brown; do not burn. Remove to a bowl and cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to hasten cooling. Grind seeds with the dry spices in a coffee grinder — the size of the grinder bowl will dictate if that’s to be done in batches.
Take eggplant from oven. Let eggplant cool enough to where it can be touched. Peel the halves, scraping out any meat sticking to the skin with a spoon. Cut the meat into around 2-inch chunks. If the eggplant is still tough, place in microwave-safe bowl, add 2-4 Tablespoons water, cover loosely and zap on high in 2-minute increments until tender, no need to drain water.
Combine all ingredients and puree. I use a stick blender, but a jar blender or food processor work fine, in batches as needed, then stirring all back together in large container.
Baba ganouj should be served at room temperature or a little cooler than that. Serves at least 8. Just before serving, taste test as it might need another 1/4 teaspoon salt or a spritz more lemon juice. Drizzle olive oil over top.
