Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (aubergine)
1/4 cup (59 ml) tahini
1/4 cup (59 ml) lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp (1.5 g) salt
Olive oil and parsley, for serving
Directions:
Roast the eggplant.
Oven method: Prick the eggplant with a fork several times so it can vent as it cooks. You don’t want exploding eggplants in your oven. Wrap the eggplant in aluminum foil and roast it in a 400F (200C) oven for about an hour. It should be very soft and have collapsed in on itself. Let it cool a bit and then slice it open and scrape out the insides. Throw away the skin.
Grill method: Maggie and I don’t really use a grill for anything, because we’re vegetarians, but there are instructions on the internet for grilling whole eggplants. The trick is to grill it on a low temp. Basically, you prick it with a fork and grill it until the skin is burnt and the eggplant has collapsed. Let it cool, slice it open, and scrape it out.
Gas stove method: You will need metal tongs! Prick the eggplant, and set it directly on the open flame of the gas stove, over a medium flame. Using the tongs, turn the eggplant as it cooks and the skin burns black. When it collapses, it’s done. Let it cool, slice it open, and scrape it out.
Put the roasted eggplant in a food processor or a blender.
Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt in and whir until smooth.
Stir in a few tbsp of chopped parsley and drizzle on some olive oil.
Options and extras:
- You can use roasted eggplant from a jar. It can be found in the international food aisle of the grocery store or in Asian or Middle Eastern grocery stores.
- The oven method doesn’t come out as smoky-flavored as the fire methods, so you might want to add a pinch of smoked paprika.
- You can mix it with a fork instead of a food processor, but you won’t get it as smooth. Still tastes good, though.