Description
This smoky, creamy baba ghanouj recipe remains a staple in my kitchen.
Ingredients
- Eggplants
- Applewood chips, for smoking
- Fresh lemon juice, about 2 tbsp per eggplant
- Minced garlic, around 3 cloves per eggplant
- Salt, about 1/4 tsp per eggplant
- Small amount of tahini, 2 tsp per eggplant
- Dash of cayenne and/or cumin (optional)
Instructions
- Start by roasting the eggplant in the oven. Simply rinse them, poke a few holes in each, and bake at 375 degrees for around 45 minutes or until they are soft to the touch. Remember to poke holes in the eggplants, otherwise there is a very good chance that the eggplants will explode in the oven, or worse, explode when you go to handle them. This has happened to me, so please be careful!
- Another thing to remember is when checking the eggplant for being done, examine the part of eggplant closest to the stem, as this is the toughest area, but also has some of the best pulp when baked thoroughly.
- After baking, let eggplant cool for about 20 minutes. Then slice eggplant lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the pulp (including the seeds). Then smoke eggplant pulp over applewood chips for around 30 minutes. Use a small amount of chips, as a little goes a long way here.
- You can do this, as B52 does, on a stovetop. Use a covered perforated pan insert, like a steamer basket and pot, and position the pulp on one side of the insert so the drippings do not extinguish the chips below. You can make an aluminum-foil basket to hold the chips in your pot, which should sit on the bottom of the pot directly over the heat. (Obviously be careful here – please do not start a bonfire on your stovetop).
- The next step is to chop the eggplant pulp on a cutting board. It’s super important to do this by hand, otherwise the texture will not be right. You want it to remain a bit chunky. After chopping, add the remaining ingredients.