Make Ahead
The oven-roasted eggplant dip formerly known as baba ganoush
- Serves 4-6
Author Notes
I started messing with the traditional baba ganoush when I moved to Paris and the more generic "caviar d'aubergine" title freed me from any worry of inauthenticity. If it's simply an eggplant dip, there can be no judgement on how baba should or shouldn't be made, and this allows me to make a roasted wonder of an appetizer with almost no effort as I slave over the actual dinner preparations. The recipe can be tweaked and tamed or fired up to suit your taste, since that's how it evolved in the first place. Some variations can involve an addition of a chili pepper to the roast with a dusting of cumin seeds. Or you could call up the mediterranean with some fresh rosemary in the final blend instead. —Selina
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- These are the ingredients for the initial roast.
-
1
eggplant (roughly chopped in cubes.)
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1
large onion or 2 tiny ones. (also roughly chopped.)
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1 or 2 (your choice)
whole cloves of garlic with the skin on and the ends chopped off.
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a good douse
olive oil on the bottom and roughly coating the veggies.
-
a heavy tablespoon
tasty vinegar of choice or wine, whatever you prefer.
-
1 teaspoon
coarse salt
- Add the following to your blended goodness...
-
1/3 cup
olive oil
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1/4 cup
lemon juice
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1-2 handfuls
sesame seeds
-
0 - 200 grams
greek yoghurt
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Fresh ground pepper to taste
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The insides of the soft and sweet garlic clove(s)
Directions
- These are the ingredients for the initial roast.
- Allow this all to cook together for about 45min or until it looks softened and smells delicious. (Don't mind the little brown bits caramelized to the bottom, that just adds to the flavour!)
- Do whatever other cooking you have to do while this roasts and when you smell it and remember “Oh! I have delicious stuff in the oven!” You should probably go and get it out.
- Find your hidden garlic cloves that are now sweet and soft and set them aside.
- Throw everything else into the blender or food processor (maybe let it cool a bit first, depending on how rushed you are.)
- Add the following to your blended goodness...
- Stir it all up, cool it down and serve it with hot pita triangles, fresh focaccia, carrot sticks, fresh fennel scoops, or anything your wee heart desires.
- If you feel so inclined, or are coming down with a cold and could use the boost, feel free to add a little fresh garlic to the final blend.
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