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I’ve been making my own hummus and baba gonoush for many years. I love the classic versions but I’m almost always experimenting with some variation – black bean hummus, hummus with pesto or loads of herbs, baba gonoush crossed with hummus (and loads of herbs) – you get the idea. When I am in the mood for a more traditional recipe, this is one of my favorites. It’s adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty cookbook. I love the way he instructs you to cook the eggplant. You char it over your stovetop burner rather than roasting it in the oven – this achieves a wonderful smoky flavor. If you are looking for a healthy yet crowd pleasing appetizer, I suggest you try this smoky eggplant dip.
On Serving Homemade Dips
I always serve my homemade hummus and eggplant dips as part of large platter loaded with veggies and pita or flatbreads. This helps keep things on the healthy side. It also makes for a beautiful presentation if you select lots of colorful veggies. Radishes and cucumbers are probably my favorite veggies. Some of my other favorite options include sugar snap peas, mushrooms, peppers, and cherry tomatoes.
To serve the pita bread, cut it into triangles (by cutting each bread into sixths or eighths). I prefer to serve the pita triangles toasted. Sprinkle them with a little olive oil and sea salt. Then bake them in the oven at 375 for approximately 10 minutes, turning once. The same method works for flat breads. You can also warm the eggplant dip in the oven if you like – just make sure it’s in an oven proof dish.
Smoky Eggplant Dip
Description
This dip adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice (approx ½ large lemon)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 to 4 tbsp parsley
- 1 to 2 tbsp mint
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- olive oil for garnish
Instructions
- First cook the eggplant. If you have a gas stovetop, you can char it directly over the burner’s flame. Start by lining the area around the burner with tin foil (to make clean up easy). Place the eggplant directly over the flame and roast 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently with tongs. The skin should be burnt all over by the time you are finished and the flesh will be soft and a bit drippy (hence the foil). Since you are cooking with an open flame, you will need to keep an eye on the eggplant the whole time to make sure it does not catch fire. Alternatively you can broil the eggplant in the oven – just prick a few holes and broil until it collapses – time will vary based on the oven.
- Place the eggplant in a colander to cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle, cut off the top and peel off the skin – it should come off easily. I also split open the eggplant and pull out the strip of seeds in the center. You won’t be able to remove all the seeds easily but I remove the big strips that are easy to grab. Return the peeled eggplant to the colander and let it drain for 20 minutes.
- Transfer the eggplant to your food processor. Add the remaining ingredients (except the olive oil). Pulse a few times and then process to desired consistency. I think it’s best to leave it on the chunky side. Season to taste.
- Transfer dip to serving bowl. When ready to serve, drizzle with olive oil and a little pomegranate molasses. Garnish with mint or parsley.
Notes
I never tried cooking eggplant over a gas burner before. I usually just broil or grill them. I think the burner approach will be my new go to cooking method. It’s very effective and produces a great smoky flavor. It’s a bit messy though so don’t forget to line the area under the burner with foil.
