Baba Ghanoush

Baba Ghanoush, which translates to something like "spoiled father" is a dish similar to hummus only with roasted eggplant. It's a great dish to serve at parties and goes well with pita, chips, and veggies. It's also super healthy! Also, unlike hummus, baba ghanoush is a bit more time-consuming to prepare but like all Lebanese dishes, it's always worth it in the end when it's time to eat! 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large eggplant 
• 1 garlic clove
• Lemon juice 
• Tahini
• Plain yogurt (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper 

2-4 servings

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, once heated place eggplant on small baking pan in oven (may let out some juice) and time for around 30 minutes 
2. While waiting for eggplant to roast, mince one garlic clove with a dash of salt and leave in processor (we use a pestle to mince garlic and transport to processor)
3. Every 10 minutes of eggplant being in the oven, check it and turn it over (you want it to be soft to the touch)
4. After the 30 minutes, use an oven mitt to see if you are able to squeeze it or soft to the touch (if so, it's roasted)
5. Place colander into sink and place eggplant in and let it cool (cool enough to be able to handle without a mitt)
6. Peel eggplant, slit in half, and take out seeds (as much as you can).  Once seeds are removed leave eggplant in colander to let any excess juice drip *tip: running it under cold water helps while removing seeds
7. Place eggplant in food processor or bowl, add 3 tablespoons of tahini, 1 tablespoon of yogurt (yogurt is optional and is added to keep the color of the dish light, since eggplant can darken), 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a dash or 2 of pepper, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of salt (depends on how much salt you want) and process, be sure to scrape sides! (the blend does not need to be fine, but it is also your preference)
8. Pour into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil for garnish (and taste!)

Step 6

Step 6

To save some time, feel free to roast the eggplant the night before you cook this dish and let it cool in the refrigerator. Enjoy!