Baba Ghanooj

The classic middle eastern eggplant dip! Since we had the charcoal grill going, we decided to make a smoky version of this, and we hope it’s not too immodest to say it was awesome.

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
4 large cloves garlic
1 scallion, white and green parts finely chopped
1½  tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Before cooking, it’s a good idea to prick a few holes all over the eggplant with a fork in order to avoid an explosion… Grill the eggplant over blazing hot coals for about 5 minutes, turning frequently until the outsides are nicely charred. Then, wrap the eggplant in 2 layers of aluminum foil and return to the grill for about 10 more minutes, continuing to turn it occasionally. At the same time, wrap the unpeeled garlic cloves in foil and add them to the grill too. (If you wrap them all in on packet, it’ll be big enough so that they don’t fall through the grill). When the eggplant feels soft, it’s done. It should look a bit like this:

 

Mmm, smoky! Scoop out the delicious pulp into a food processor – don’t miss the juices which should have been trapped by the foil wrapper. Add the garlic (it should be soft enough to squeeze out of the papery skin) and the other ingredients. Process until a thick puree forms; season to taste.