(2022) Creamed Eggplant (Baba Ganouj)

Recipe Author: Suzanne Welander

Here’s a simple recipe for baba ghanoush from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian. Anyone lacking inspiration for eggplants would benefit from simply reading this cookbook’s index of twenty-some eggplant recipes! Wishing I had more eggplants now.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, roasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

To roast the eggplant, preheat oven to 450F. Prick the eggplants all over with a fork and lie them down in a baking tray lined with foil. Bake, turning every 15 minutes. One pound of eggplants will take about an hour. For a more smoky flavor, grill them. Regardless of your method, they’ll flatten and turn very soft inside when done. Handle them from the stem end to keep them from falling to pieces. Once cooled, remove peel and coarsely chop.

Put the coarsely chopped eggplant into the container of an electric blender. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Blend briefly for 5 to 6 seconds until creamy. Serve at room temperature or chilled.