If you often go to Middle-Eastern restaurants, you might already have tried Baba Ganoush. When done well, it’s the most perfect dish with a chargrilled taste, a smooth texture and a perfect balance between eggplant, garlic and tahine.

But the industrial / supermarket version is always bland. No olive oil but regular oil thus lack of taste. No smoky flavour. Sadness.

So here is just the tip to make it at home as good as if you were in Israel or Lebanon: Burn baby burn!



Don’t be scared. Put the eggplant it the fire of your kitchen stove and burn. First make some little holes in the skin with a fork so it doesn’t explode. Then there it goes. The skin should darken, crack, even smoke a bit. The eggplant will turn juicy and flabby and it’s just how you want it.

Remove the skin with a peeler. Chop the flesh finely with a knife (you could do it with a food processor but I prefer when there’s a little texture left).

Time for seasoning. For one eggplant: Between 1 and 2 cloves of garlic. Raw. Mashed.
Juice of half a lemon. Two tablespoons of olive oil. Two tablespoons of tahine.

Serve topped with chopped parsley, chopped grilled chili (an addiction brought back from Turkey) and grilled pine nuts. Add a last splash of olive oil and dip happily with flat bread.

Read the original on: Food and Fashion