Baba ghanoush
“Eggplant's capacity for soaking up flavours makes it a versatile vegetable.”
- 4 eggplants
- 1/2 clove of garlic
- salt
- 2-3 tbsp tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- 200g yoghurt
- 1 tsp cumin
The key to baba ghanoush is to cook the eggplants over a flame so they get all charred. It's a little messy and weird at first because you think you're burning the eggplant but that's precisely the point - to infuse the pulp with smoke. If you don't have a gas cooktop they can be done on the barbecue. Failing that, you can roast them in the oven.
Method
Prick the eggplants a few times with a fork and set them directly over medium-high gas flames. Turn them often and cook until they are blackened all over - about 10 minutes. Place them in a colander to cool.
Carefully cut them in half, scoop out the soft flesh and place in a bowl. Avoid including the skin.
Crush the garlic with salt and add to the eggplant with the other ingredients. Mix well, season with salt and taste to check that the flavours are balanced.
Baba ghanoush should be quite smoky but also a little piquant from the lemon and earthy from the tahini.
Serves 4.
