Ingredients
* 1 large eggplant
* 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
* 1 pinch ground cumin
* salt, to taste
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, such as kalamata
Good, but I thought there was too much tahini and ended up adding another 1/8 cup lemon juice to try to cut the tahini flavor. The tahini seemed to overpower the eggplant, much to my dismay. BUT I did get several compliments on it, so maybe that's just my taste. To future cooks who try this recipe, I would recommend mixing in maybe 2 tablespoons of tahini and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (since other people who have reviewed this recipe thought 1/4 cup was too much lemon) and then adjusting to your own taste preferences. I wish I'd prepared it that way. Because you can always add more tahini/lemon juice, but you can't take it out once it's in there!!
I was looking for a baba ghanoush recipe to use up some eggplant I had lying around, and this was great! I must admit, I didn't have time to drag out the grill to roast the eggplant, so I just used the oven. It still turned out great. Thanks for a great recipe.
Method
1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.
2. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
3. Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.
4. Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.
7. Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
8. Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.
9. Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well.
10. Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
11. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
12. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.
13. Place the olives around the sides.
14. Serve at room temperature.