From the Test Gardens

| Main |

July 16th, 2010

Facebook is a great place for friends to share recipes and gardening advice, and it’s there that my Dallas friend Kirk Kirksey proves himself a font of wisdom—and fun. His most recent post, a recipe for baba ganoush, made me laugh out loud (and hungry). With eggplants so plentiful now, I thought I’d share:

Baba Ganoush, Y’all

3 large eggplants (about 2½ pounds)
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles
¼ cup tahini paste
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

On the grill, build a small fire with mesquite wood chunks only (or use charcoal if you’re not a purist). Let the flames die down until the wood chunks are very hot, but not flaming. Cut eggplants in half length-wise (is that a word?). Rub each eggplant half with olive oil, and place, skin side up, on the grate. Cover with the grill lid (or foil, I guess) and allow to smoke. Remove eggplants halves when the skin has started to collapse and the meat is mushy—about 30 minutes. Allow to thoroughly cool.

There will be a thin charred layer covering the roasted eggplant pulp. Carefully remove this and discard. Scrape the eggplant pulp into a bowl and discard the empty skins.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or, if you’re a peasant like me, in a blender. Hit the ‘Chop’ button if you like texture; ‘Puree’ if you prefer a smooth, featureless paste. Salt to taste.

Serve with pita chips as a dip. Or, if you can’t stand it, just have a bowl for breakfast like I’m doing now.

***

For all you need to know on planting, growing and harvesting eggplants, click here.

Tags: bab ganoush, eggplant