Editors' Pick
Baba Ganoush - the Best in the World!
"This baba ganoush recipe is from Williams-Sonoma's Small Plates by Joanne Wier, published 1998"
photo by DianaEatingRichly
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1⁄4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1⁄4 cup brine-cured black olives, such as kalamata
directions
- Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.
- Preheat an oven to 375°F.
- Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.
- Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.
- Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
- Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.
- Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well.
- Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.
- Place the olives around the sides.
- Serve at room temperature.
Questions & Replies
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How long will this save refrigerated? -
How big do you consider a large eggplant? -
what is the olive brine for ? nvm I see its the olives not the brine
Reviews
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This is a delicious recipe. My adaptations included roasting a whole red pepper and about 1/2 head of garlic (in foil) at the same time I roasted the eggplant on the grill. Finished off the eggplant in the oven as stated. For those who think the garlic is too strong, try roasting it first. Makes it sweet and mellow. I did go ahead and add 3 large cloves of raw garlic as well and it was a tad strong...bitey. I may do less next time or just stick with the roasted garlic. I did add a bit more tahini because I felt the mixture was kind of soupy. So..I know I added a few more calories but it's very good! Serving with toasted pita wedges! Yum... I used the juice of 1 large lemon. Put the eggplant flesh, roasted pepper, parsley, garlic in bowl and hit it with the immersion blender til smooth...I would skip the olive oil next time...oily enough with tahini. -
The best. And capable of adjustment if your taste differs. Believe me you want that much tahini, but lemon, cumin, garlic can be modified to taste. My only change is: put tahini, salt, 2 garlic cloves, lemonjuice and cumin in food processor, grind to a smooth paste. Add eggplant and pulse until still slightly chunky. Add additional lemon to taste, continue with recipe. I never give a party without making this and/or hummus with veggies and pita. -
OH. MY. GOD. This is possibly the best baba ghanoush I've ever had. I made this with eggplants fresh from my garden and it came out fantastic! I was going to keep the skins on but I'm glad I didn't. I followed the recipe exactly as written, and it came out so light and fluffy and absolutely delicious. the only thing I did differently was I blended it all in the food processor. Thanks!!!
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Superb recipe! Instead of grilling, I added about a few dashes of liquid smoke. It freezes well, so make a double batch. -
Excellent recipe! I do prefer a lot of eggplant flavor myself, so the cumin and parsley are optional for me. The roasting of the eggplant to start is essential.
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Tweaks
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I roasted the garlic cloves, and topped with toasted pine nuts in addition to the oil, parsley, and olives.
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However, as not everyone will have a charcoal grill I do this in the oven and then I use a piece of charcoal that I heated over the flames till red hot and then add it to the dish with the aubergines and pour a teaspoon of oil over the piece of coal and close the oven door. it starts to smoke and gives it the same smoky flavour that you would get from a charcoal grill :) -
Okay this is a little weird but I'm on a diet so I put it with vegetables! It was great. -
This is the best recipe I have found. Next time will either use less garlic or will roast it first. I will add a little liquid smoke since my fav restaurant has a smoky flavor to theirs. When I made this the second time I used paprika and fresh basil instead of the olives and fresh parsley since I was out of those items. I also used three eggplant to the same amount of other ingredients and only needed a little more olive oil to blend it all in the blender. This recipe will be made many times by our family.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Mimi Bobeck
United States
Very busy nanny/au pair, working for a very rich and snooty family, in a very large home, in a very snooty village. Just in case my employer comes here, please don't ask where I am from, or I'll be sacked like the last nanny was. ;-) I take care of 4 gorgeous, and darling kids. 3 girls and a boy. The boy is the youngest (and my favorite). They are great children, very, very active. (Hyper)
I love to cook. I guess that's a given, why else would I be here. Part of my job is also to prepare meals for the family. The more they like my food, the longer I get to stay. (just a little joke)
On my day off, I usually go out to the cinema or some dance clubs with the other au pairs in this town. That's about it I think.
