Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Dip)

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

or a long time, the idea of eggplant made me slightly queasy. It was a weird vegetable — kind of soft, kind of bitter, unpredictably textured. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. So I avoided it for years. What I needed was a gateway to eggplant, an ambassador from the other side. Baba ganoush (and Papa Eggplant, as my Greek friend calls it) was what I needed.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds), cut in half lengthwise
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup tahini
Freshly ground black pepper
Ground sumac, to garnish

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425ºF. Oil the cut side lightly with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Roast, cut side up, for 1 hour, or until very soft and blackened around the edges. The eggplant halves will be puffy and expanded, but will collapse as they cool. Let cool for 1 hour.
Scoop the flesh away from the skin and discard the skin. Put the eggplant flesh in in a fine mesh strainer. Press out and drain any juice that will come out. Transfer to a mortar or food processor. Add 2 smashed garlic cloves, 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup tahini, and black pepper and blend thoroughly until very smooth. Taste and add additional lemon juice, olive oil, salt, or pepper to taste, if desired.
Refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors blend. Before serving dust lightly with ground sumac. Serve with warm pita bread, baked chips, or chopped raw vegetables.