Roasted Garlic Babaganoush

I got my last box of ugly produce this past week as my garden has sprung to life and I won’t be needing their services until winter. I received two eggplants in it and while I do like eggplants, for busy weeks it’s one of those things that seem more like a curse than anything else, weighing heavily on my mind that I’ll have to use them up or risk them going bad (and to the ducks.)

I had a smidgen of free time today so I grit my teeth and decided to do babaganoush. It’s a creamy eggplant dip that is common from the Mediterranean to the Middle East. It is also much easier and less work intensive than tempura for me. This recipe uses the skins, but you can take the skins off after roasting if you prefer. I like it for the health and the texture though.

I had made several different kinds before, following recipes from all over. Eventually, this is the one that I hybridized and enjoyed the most. If you find the garlic a little too spicy at the outset, you can omit the roast the single raw clove, or you can allow it to sit in the fridge and mellow out before serving.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, cubed
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Tahini
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss eggplants and 3 of the garlic cloves in half of the olive oil and roast in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until slightly charred.
3. Remove from heat. In a food processor, combine roasted eggplants and roasted garlic with one clove raw garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, fresh parsley, lemon juice, tahini, and the remaining olive oil. Pulse to desired consistency.
4. Drizzle with more olive oil if desired. Serve with pita bread or crackers.
5. Can keep in the fridge up to 4 days.