Baba ganoush
Baba ganoush is a delicious, smoky aubergine dip made by cooking whole aubergines until blackened on the outside and softly steamy on the inside. Try it with a Middle-Eastern flatbread such as maneesh.
Ingredients
- 3 aubergines
- 1–3 garlic cloves, crushed (to taste)
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2–4 tbsp light tahini
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Method
Prick the aubergines all over with a fork. Grill the aubergines until the skin is charred and blacked and the flesh feels soft when you press it, turning repeatedly until the whole skin is charred. This will take approximately 15–20 minutes. Once cooked place in a sieve to cool and allow any excess liquid to drain away.
Mix the crushed garlic with the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and black pepper.
When cool enough to handle, cut the aubergines in half and scoop out the soft flesh. Mix with the remaining ingredients.
Place in a serving dish and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of parsley over the top. For the best results chill the baba ganoush for 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to mellow and meld.
Recipe Tips
You can cook the aubergines over a hot barbecue to give real authenticity and extra smoky flavour to your baba ganoush. Cook for 30 minutes, or until soft, blackened and the aubergine has collapsed. You can also cook them over the flame of a gas hob, but be warned it does get rather messy and there's obviously a risk of burning yourself.
In simple dips like this, the quality of the ingredients will shine though, so pick a fruity extra-virgin olive oil if you have one and it's worth investing in good-quality tahini as cheaper varieties can be bitter.
Crushed garlic tends to be more pungent than chopped, so start by adding one clove and add more, to taste.
For a creamier aubergine dip, stir through a few tablespoons of Greek yoghurt.
