Baba Ghanoush

March 27, 2001

The temperatures in my corner of the world have been venturing into the low 30s as we enjoy late summer.

On one such day last week The Spouse suggested we go to the local suburban village for lunch. It was so warm we decided it might be more prudent to sit inside where all the doors and windows were open rather than venture out on the patio in the midday sun.

We are exceedingly well served with cafes and bars in our suburb. All are excellent and offer innovative menus that are not too tough on the budget.

We both selected the same dish - corn and chili fritters. Two substantial fritters came in a stack, each topped with chunks of avocado and hot smoked salmon, and a side salad. Along with a glass of locally made sauvignon semillon, our lunch hit the spot nicely.

When you dine out in the middle of the day, there's usually no inclination to eat a large meal in the evening. Fortunately I'd baked a large eggplant the previous night when I was cooking some chicken so I had the makings of today's recipe all ready in the fridge.

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dip. It goes well with pre-dinner drinks, as part of an antipasto platter, or as a side dish with other Middle Eastern fare. It's nice served with toasted pita wedges, particularly if you brush these with a little olive oil and sprinkle them with sumac.

Sumac is made from the ground berries of a shrub which grows wild in the Middle East. The spice is a deep red colour and it has a slightly acidic peppery flavour. If you mix sumac, powdered thyme, salt and sesame seeds together you will have made a mixture called zatar which is also good sprinkled on the pita wedges. Or you can dip warm pita pieces into olive oil and then into the spice mix. Yum. But I digress.

Eggplants for baba ghanoush are best if you can grill them on a barbecue which imparts a nice smoky flavour. But in the absence of that, prick them in several places and bake them in the oven at 180c for 45 minutes to an hour depending on how large they are.

Tahini is available by the jar and is made of ground sesame seeds. You will probably need to stir the tahini in the jar before measuring out as the oil tends to separate out of it and sit on the top. Tahini also features in hummus - a dip made of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

Baba ghanoush

2 large eggplants weighing about 500g each
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons tahini
the juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Bake or barbecue the eggplants until soft and let them stand for a few minutes until cook enough to handle. Remove the stalk end and the skin.

Process in a blender briefly, or mash in a bowl with a fork. Add the garlic, tahini and lemon juice and mix well, seasoning with the salt and pepper. Garnish with the parsley.

Serve at room temperature.