Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Abundant Eggplant - Post 8

Eggplant is such a beautiful, deep violet color that I imagine the first people that tried it were expecting something amazing. I wonder if those people were disappointed. When I see eggplant, I want to eat it then I am usually disappointed. I do not dislike the vegetable, I just do not fully appreciate it. I think that it is wonderful breaded and fried, but since I normally do not bread or fry I am often at a loss as to what to do with it. I have made eggplant parmesan vegan and gluten free, but it was not stellar. It is probably because I did not fry the eggplant. I am not the type to fry things. I do not love fried foods. Well, let me clarify--fried foods do not love me.


I have also sliced eggplant thin and oven roasted it and served it in a sandwich with roasted red pepper. I like eggplant that way, but I felt like I needed something new. The way I tend to prefer eggplant is in a Middle Eastern dish called baba ghanoush. For several weeks in a row, we had gotten eggplant in our CSA share and I decided to try the dish again. I had made it years ago and wanted to improve on the flavor. It came to me that the way to up the flavor in this dish would be to roast the garlic along with the eggplant. So I tried an experiment of stuffing the garlic into the eggplant while it was roasting. My thought was that the flavor of the garlic would infuse the eggplant while roasting. The result was a garlicky success. 


I served this as a side dish to tofu and vegetable kabobs with brown rice on the side. As I thought about the flavor of the baba ghanoush, I envisioned it as a delicious pasta sauce as well. I tried the idea recently and was pleased with the result. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of it as a pasta sauce. 

Baba Ghanoush
  • 1 large eggplant or 3 small (I used 3 here)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and cut in three slices
  • 3 Tbsp tahini
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Olive oil
  • Chili powder
  • Cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • Sumac (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the eggplant. If using three small eggplants, cut three slits into each. If using one eggplant, cut 9 slits. Make sure that the slits are large enough for the garlic slices. Stuff the garlic slices into the slits and place on a baking sheet sprayed with a small amount of olive oil. Roast the eggplant for 25-35 minutes until tender. 



When finished, remove from the oven and let cool. When cooled, remove the garlic from the eggplant and place into a food processor. Peel the eggplant and scoop out the tender inside into the food processor. Place the tahini and lemon juice in the processor and blend. Stream in olive oil until it has reached a consistency that you prefer. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and pulse for a couple of seconds. Taste and add more seasoning, if needed. 

Place into a serving dish and drizzle olive oil in the center. If using, sprinkle with sumac. If you do not have sumac, you can sprinkle with paprika.

8 comments:

Caitlin said...

i've never made baba ghanoush before, but have always wanted to. this recipe sees perfect for me to try! i love the simplicity of the ingredients and it looks really creamy!

Anonymous said...

Your baba looks delicious, Amanda!

If you have a gas stove or some other access to flame (or hot coals in a grill), you should smoke the eggplant while you roast it. I promise it will make it taste a million times better! (This is coming from an eggplant addict who would eat it no matter how it's prepared.)

Anonymous said...

I usually make eggplant steaks with our eggplant. Let me know if you'd like the recipe - I'd be happy to share. I can't wait to make my own baba ganoush!

-Josie

VeggieAmanda said...

Thanks for the suggestion Windy! :-)

Josie- we have made eggplant steaks in the oven and on the grill. Maybe I'm missing a seasoning or something that could make them better. :-)

KitteeBee said...

Oh I hear you on this. While I love eggplant when it's made properly, there's nothing in the world I hate more to eat than under cooked eggplant. So horrid. Baba is the perfect solution! I also love it in caponata.

xo
kittee

foodfeud said...

Baba ganoush is great. I love eggplant most of the time - it's nice as a parmesean melt, grilled with vegan cheese and tomato sauce. I also really love it in ratatouille!

GiGi said...

I am an all around eggplant lover, however for some crazy reason I suck at making baba ghanoush. Your dish is reinspiring me.

x said...

I don't like eggplants very much either and when I get them in our veg box they either go to waste or I try and remember to take them to my parents so they will use them. I prefer hummus to baba-g but I haven't ever made my own so I will try this next time I get stuck with an eggplant!