The Inspired Kitchen
Easy Eggplant
Three recipes for Baba Ghanouj.
By Adeena Sussman
In Israel, there's a baba ghanouj (sometimes called baba
ganoush) recipe for every taste. Even the smallest markets carry several
versions of chatzilim (eggplant).
Home cooks and restaurants alike relish the opportunity to tweak this classic, resulting in a multitude
of interpretations for this Middle Eastern staple.
Try one of these three preparations, or make all three and
serve as a trio of dips or a crowd-pleasing first course at your next
get-together.
General Directions for Eggplant
Line stovetop with aluminum foil
or burner covers. Turn a burner to high heat and place eggplant directly over
burner grate, turning occasionally with tongs until all sides are charred and
eggplant is soft, about 5 minutes per side or 15-20 minutes total. Remove to a
baking sheet and let cool completely. Drain juices, remove skin and place
eggplant pulp in the bowl of a food processor.
(I like my eggplant campfire-smoky--known
as al ha'esh, or "on the
fire" in Israel--but if the flavor is too strong, you can bake the
eggplant on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven for about an hour, then cool and
skin the eggplant according to the directions below.)
Baba Ghanouj (Eggplant with Tahini)
Makes about 2 cups
2 medium eggplants (about 1 to 1 1⁄4lbs each)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons lemon juice, plus more to taste
3⁄4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/3 cup pure tahini
(not a prepared tahini dip, which may contain preservatives and additives)
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Prepare eggplant according to directions above and place in
the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic, lemon juice, salt, and tahini and
process to desired consistency, pulsing 20-30 times for chunkier results or
blending 15 seconds for smoother results. Season with additional lemon juice
and salt to taste. Transfer to bowl, garnish with parsley, and serve with
wedges of pita bread.
Eggplant with Mayonnaise (Chatzilim
be' Mayonnaise)
Makes about 2 cups
Isralies feel strongly about mayo in their eggplant--it's a love-it
or hate-it sort of thing. For me, the marriage of creamy mayonnaise with the
smoky eggplant is pure comfort-food, equally great as a dip or as a sandwich
spread.
2 medium eggplants (about 1 to 1 1⁄4 lbs each)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Prepare eggplant according to directions above and place in
the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic, mayonnaise, salt, and lemon juice and
process to desired consistency, pulsing 20-30 times for chunkier results or
blending 15 seconds for smoother results. Season with additional lemon juice
and salt to taste. Transfer to bowl, garnish with parsley, and serve with
wedges of pita bread.
Eggplant Salad with Red Pepper and Scallions
This simple recipe is inspired by one I tasted at the Mahaneh
Yehuda, Jerusalem's famous market (also known as the shuk). For this version, I would opt for the baked, not smoked,
eggplant preparation.
2 medium eggplants (about 1 to 1 1⁄4 lbs each)
1⁄4 cup diced red bell pepper, plus more for garnish
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 scallion, green included, thinly sliced, plus more for
garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄4 cup lemon juice, plus more for garnish
1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus more for garnish
Prepare baked eggplant according to directions above and
transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 10-15 times until eggplant
flesh is chopped, but some chunks remain. Remove to a bowl and add red pepper,
garlic, scallion, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, stirring to incorporate all
ingredients. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with additional red pepper and
scallion. Serve with wedges of pita bread.
Adeena Sussman is a food writer and chef based in New York.
She writes the bimonthly food column Season to Taste for Hadassah magazine,
and her work appears regularly on Epicurious.com, and in publications including
Time Out New York, The Forward, the San Jose Mercury News, and Sunset magazine. Visit her at adeenasussman.com.
