Roasted Garlic Baba Ganoush (THM S)
This was my first time making Baba Ganoush, and let me tell you just how EASY and flavorful this dish is.
Bana Ganoush is a Levantine dish that's based on cooked eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and spices.
Eggplant can be notoriously bitter, however I roasted it along with a whole head of garlic to bring out its sweetness. Roasting caramelizes the sugars in the vegetables, making them slightly smoky and a little sweet.
Don't be intimated by roasting vegetables! Just follow my straight-forward method, and you won't have any issues.
Let's start with the base of our Baba Ganoush - the garlic and eggplant.
Start by preheating your oven to 400, then slice your eggplant. Don't over-complicate it - I cut the stem off of it, then cut it into 4 big wedges. That's it! The skin will come off later, so don't worry about peeling or anything.
Next prep the garlic by cutting off the top of your whole garlic bulb. Again, don't worry about anything else - leave the skin on, leave the bottom stem on (that's how it stays together).
Spray it with a little coconut oil, then wrap the bulb in a small piece of aluminum foil.
I wrap it taller than I do small because that makes it easy to peek on the bulb (without burning yourself) while it cooks. Place it and the eggplant on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Give the eggplant a light spray of coconut oil as well.
Pop it into your oven, and roast away! The garlic will roast the longest, for about 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of your bulb). The eggplant, on the other hand, will only roast for about 20-25 minutes, and it's easy to take that garlic bulb right off the sheet and leave it on the oven grates to finish roasting. Once the eggplant has some deep color, place it into a heat-safe bowl and cover with aluminum foil (you can totally recycle that piece you used on the baking sheet!) or plastic wrap. This helps finish cooking the eggplant, while also lifting the skin away from the flesh of the eggplant making it easier to peel.
With the garlic, I primarily go by smell to know when its done. When you start smelling the roasted garlic, check on it about every 10 minutes until you see a deep, golden color.
Look at that! Golden, a little crispy on the edges, and soft. Roasted garlic almost makes a paste because it's so soft, and I'll show you my easy-peasy way to get all those roasted cloves out of your bulb in just a minute.
Back to the eggplant! Once its cool enough to handle, take a sharp pairing knife to begin peeling the flesh away from the skin of the eggplant. I started on the skinny, pointy end of the wedge and made a small cut right between the skin and flesh. Then run your knife close to the skin, allowing the flesh to gently peel away. It's OK if it doesn't come off all in one piece, you're pureeing this anyway - no one has to know!
Peel away all that soft eggplant flesh, and place it right into your food processor.
Next is the garlic. Take the whole roasted bulb into your palm and angle it over the food processor. Squeeze the bulb from the bottom, and all the cloves begin to release from their skins out through the top.
Easy, right?!
Now, it's time for the rest of your ingredients.
Squeeze of half a lemon - hold it cut-side up so that the seeds stay with the lemon, instead of going into your processor.
I spiced this really simply with a little bit of smoky ground cumin, a few leaves of fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. [I know, super complicated, right?]
Place it all into your food processor, and get ready to whirl!
Start it whirling, then stream in about 1/3 c of olive oil (EVOO, in my world).
The Baba Ganoush is ready when it reaches this loose paste-like consistency. Think, a loose hummus.
Gorgeous! Transfer it to your serving bowl, sprinkle with a tiny bit of smoked paprika, more fresh chopped parsley, and a quick drizzle of EVOO.
Seriously, how beautiful is that? AND...it's ALL veggies! No dairy, no beans, no problem.
You can serve this with cut veggies (cucumbers, mini sweet peppers, grape tomatoes, fresh zucchini, cauliflower, I could go on...) even some baked low carb pita triangles or parmesan cheese whisps would work. Any way you serve it, it's equally delicious.
This dip has a smokiness from the roasted eggplant and cumin, then you get a little sweetness from the roasted garlic and tahini, and it has a fruity quality with the raw EVOO. Simply divine!
Make this Baba Ganoush for your next party, and your guests will be begging for your recipe.
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