Saturday, October 1, 2011

Confessions of an Eggplant Hater

Haters gonna hate, and let me tell you, my distaste for these squat, purple little vegetables runs quite deep. Who's with me here?!?  I've had more soggy, mushy, bitter skinned eggplant dishes in my lifetime than I care to count.  And, don't even get me started on the SEEDS.  There's nothing worse that biting into a perfectly crisp, fried eggplant sandwich, only to find yourself with a mouthful of bitter seeds... blahhh!!

So when my friend brought me over a cute little eggplant that she grew herself in her garden, I was less than enthused.  How can I possible make this into something I'd actually want to eat?!
Garden Eggplant!

So falafels came to mind, (as they so often do), and I thought I'd try my hand at some Baba Ghanouj

Baba Ghanouj - Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip

Baba Ghanouj - Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip

1 eggplant (1 medium or 2 small)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 parsley, minced
black pepper, to taste
1 pinch cayenne (optional, bu I like a little spice)

For garnish
olive oil
parsley


Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non stick cooking spray.
  • Slice eggplant(s) in half lengthwise, and place face-down on baking sheet.
  • Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until very tender.
  • Cool until comfortable to handle.
  • Scoop out the eggplant flesh and discard the skin.
  • Place in food processor with garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt and coriander.
  • Puree until smooth.
  • Add minced parsley and pulse to combine.
  • Pour into bowl, check for salt, add pepper and cayenne (if using).
  • Chill for half hour, or until ready to serve.
  • Top with a drizzle of olive oil and some parsley.



I served this as a spread on homemade falafels, and had the leftovers with pitas. ^_^



10 comments:

  1. Was it good? It LOOKS good!

    I love eggplant when it's cooked well (and well made baba g is one of my favorites) but badly cooked eggplant is such a horrible, loathsome thing.

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  2. I loove baba g but have never made it myself! Yet.

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  3. Baba G is yummah - glad you found a way to enjoy this veg. I adore aubergines in most forms.
    :-)

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  4. Great solution! Baba ghanouj is a very tasty way to use an eggplant. I like it even more since I learned to roast the eggplant over a gas flame and make it a little smoky. (A barbecue grill is better but oh well.)

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  5. I have never had egg plant (aubergine as we say here!), I'm going to give this dip a go though, looks great!

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  6. I have hated eggplant since the first time I tried it. I haven't ever had it again, so I still hate it. But I guess I'm going to have to take another shot at eggplant, being presented with this great recipe and all. :) It looks really yummy.

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  7. I hate eggplant too! Also, not a fan of portabella mushrooms - and of course that's the only 2 things restaurants understand that veggies can eat. sad face.

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  8. haha. I totally understand what you are saying! I have tried so hard to like eggplant but there is something about it that hasn't done it for me. BUT coming from one hater to another, if you say this is good, well then, I will give it another shot. I'm very forgiving to my veggie friends :) xo, Cara

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  9. Baba ghanouj is so sneaky! It totally doesn't really taste like eggplants and is quite yummy! I've never tried making my own, but maybe I'll try this recipe.

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  10. I'm 100% against eggplant, too! However, my BF loves eggplant in general, and baba specifically, which apparently means I'll be giving your recipe a try very soon :)

    Great pots - I love the sneaky looking eggplants at the top!

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