I’m realizing as I compile this online recipe collection that I owe so many of my favorite recipes to my garden. If I’d never grown tomatillos or okra or sun chokes, I would have likely never cooked with them. And even if I had picked up a few at the farmers market and made my favorite, say, okra dish from year to year, that is not the same as growing more than you know what to do with and having to hunt down recipes to find new ways to eat them. So it is with eggplant. Eggplant Parmesan would likely have been the only eggplant dish I’d ever made if they hadn’t been growing outside my door. As it is, I’ve learned to stir up Moussaka and Ratatouille and, yes, Baba Ganoush. If you’ve never tried it before, think hummus or bean dip. But a little smoother and maybe a little more garlicky. And just so good.
Recipe inspired by Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Ingredients
- Olive oil for the baking sheet
- 1 medium (7 inch) eggplant
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sesame tahini
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- minced, fresh parsley or ground cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
- Slice eggplant in half, lengthwise, and place face-down on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until very tender. Cool until it’s easy to handle.
- Scoop out eggplant pulp and discard the skin. Place the pulp in the food processor or blender along with garlic cloves and pulse. Add lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
- Place in bowl. Cover and chill. Sprinkle parsley or cayenne on top as a garnish before serving.