Hi friends, how’s it going!?
We got through January! Yay! It can be a tough month. The down that comes when Christmas ends is real…no more festive parties, no more family gatherings, no more glittering lights. It can be sad! I always get this sense of dread when I remember that winter is not even close to being over. For some reason when the Christmas tree comes down I just expect the cold to go away as well…yeah, no. (sigh)
I’m just gonna keep imagining summer nights on the balcony, grilling veggie burgers and sippin’ wine. A girl can dream, right?!
Baba ganoush is supposed to be grilled to get a nice smoky flavour. But I’m not going outside! Plus, we’re out of propane. Meh.
So instead I found a way to get a bit of smokiness from paprika! And roasting the garlic also gives it a nice warmth, if that makes sense, considering you don’t eat it warm. But I suppose you could! It’s best at room temperature; in fact, it turned a little gelatinous when I put the leftovers in the fridge over night. Leaving it out on the counter for a while will bring it back to normal, in case you’re making this ahead of time for a party or something.
I told you about my hummus obsession in my cilantro jalapeño hummus post, right? This was my attempt to branch out and I’m so glad I did because it was so much easier than I thought it would be. Just roast and blend, really.
Branch out peeps! It’s a new year!
Anyways, if you love dips, (and what human doesn’t?) then give this a try. It’s got such simple and basic ingredients, and only five of them (salt and olive oil don’t count!), so it’s good for you too! Let me know if you try it! I’d love to hear how it turned out!
| Super Simple Baba Ganoush | Print |
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, depending on preference
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini*
- juice of ½ a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked paprika, but either is fine
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Wrap the unpeeled cloves of garlic together in a bundle of aluminum foil. Set aside while you prepare the eggplant.
- Poke holes liberally in the eggplant with a fork surrounding all sides, then cut in half lengthwise.
- Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and then place the eggplant flesh side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake eggplant and garlic bundle together in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove both the garlic and eggplant from the oven and place a clean dish towel over the eggplant for 30 minutes. This will help steam the eggplant and make the skin easy to remove.
- Let the garlic cool in the foil packet for 30 minutes as well.
- When 30 minutes has passed, cut the stem off each half of the eggplant, then take the skin off the eggplant by peeling off long strips starting from one end to the other, lengthwise. It should come off relatively easily in 3-4 strips per half.
- Discard the skin, roughly chop the eggplant flesh, and place it in a food processor.
- Peel the cooled garlic and add to the food processor along with the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and paprika. Blend until smooth.
- Season to taste with salt, lemon juice, or more tahini, if desired.
- Serve at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh chopped parsley if desired.
- Pairs well with pita wedges, as a dip for vegetables, or as a spread for sandwiches and wraps!
This came out awesome. I used an enormous eggplant, do you think I can freeze some of the finished product?
Hi Mike, glad you liked it! I have never tried freezing it but it’s worth a shot rather than throwing it out! If you do, let me know how it turns out. If the texture is off once it’s defrosted you could always repurpose it and mix it with some pasta sauce or something?! Just an idea!
Yes.. I freeze it when my friend makes a huge batch…
Love this my favorite when we go out now at home and easy thanks
So glad you like it!