the dinner mystery solved

This is my third year of NaBloPoMo, and I always manage to forgot how hard it is. I really try to avoid throw-away posts just for the sake of getting something up, but sometimes I’m just out of time and energy. That’s the lesson of the exercise, however, so on we go!

Yesterday I posted this photo of our dinner:

The artichokes, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and pita bread were easily identifiable. The dipping sauce is tomorrow’s post and I wish I was eating it right now. But the mushy stuff in the upper right corner is not, as several people guessed, hummus.

Need a hint?

These are the eggplants from our last CSA share, halved and roasted and ready to be scooped out and made into baba ghanouj!

Baba ghanouj (or ghanoush) is a Mediterranean eggplant and tahini dip. It’s actually a lot like hummus with eggplant in place of chickpeas. It’s also a great way to get rid of eggplant threatening to languish in your fridge and saves well for later.

If you have fresh parsley, that’s ideal and what I list in the recipe. I was out and used dried parsley flakes, a lackluster substitute for the desperate or hungry. My husband offered to run to the store while I roasted the eggplant, but I naively turned him down. Next time I won’t be so flip.

Baba Ghanouj

Makes about 2 cups

I had rosa bianca eggplants which are fairly small. Just don’t use the long, slender Chinese eggplants for this. We like this as a dip for wedges of pita bread, but it also works as a spread on sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant (or 2 medium, or 3 small)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little for the pan
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Lightly brush or spray a pan with olive oil. Slice eggplant(s) in half lengthwise and place cut side down on pan. Roast for 30-45 minutes until very soft. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
2. Combine garlic, lemon zest and juice, tahini, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth.
3. When the eggplant is cool enough to hold, use a spoon to scrape the flesh from the skin. Add to food processor and pulse to combine. Leave slightly chunky, or puree until smooth as desired.
4. Place in serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and top with parsley. Serve with pita bread or crostini.

Tagged as: eggplant, spread, tahini