The Arabic term for the dish means “pampered daddy,” the person in question being, legend has it, a sultan spoiled with a concoction invented by a member of his harem. The origins of baba ghanoush are unknown, although medieval Arabic manuscripts indicate that the passion for eggplants dates back to at least the 13th century. It appears in many guises throughout the Middle East, sometimes under its alternative name... moutabel.
Having read up on the many recipes available and marveling at the vast number of plays on this very simple yet flavorful dish, I decided to just go for it and make my own. I did follow the directive of a Lebanese family member and stuck with her chunky eggplant texture. This choice was very simple because... well... I'm pretty sure there were no food processors available back in the days of the dishes origins.
As always... feel free to tweak my recipe as needed to make it your own. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2 - 3 pounds eggplant - preferably small ones
- ¼ cup lemon juice - fresh squeezed preferred
- ¼ cup sesame tahini well shaken or stirred
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 1 - 2 garlic cloves - finely minced - this adds a sharpness to the dish so go light and taste
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- green parts from two scallions – cut to rings
- chopped or minced Italian parsley for garnish
- smoked paprika - this will bring out the fire flavor without fire. Find your own smoke level by adding and tasting.
Preparation:
Gather your eggplants, trim the stems close for foil wrapping and make a few slits through the skin so they don't explode while baking. :-)
Wrap the eggplants in foil and place in oven safe baking dish.
Bake at 450 F for about an hour. Make sure they're nice and soft...
If not, leave in for a little longer.
Break up eggplant with a potato masher until you achieve a chunky consistency to your liking.
Blend in tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, oil, garlic and salt.
Finally blend in the cut scallion tops.
Garnish with parsley
Serve chilled or at room temperature with a flatbread of your choice.
