Over the weekend, my mother shoved a container of roasted eggplant at me with pleading eyes and shouted, “Do something with this!” I answered, “Whatever do you mean mother? How could you not love unsalted, unspiced, cold eggplant?”
Bleh. Luckily cold, tasteless mush can quickly and easily turn into delicious, creamy baba ghanoush with practically no effort whatsoever!
Ingredients
1 medium-sized eggplant
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch ground coriander
1 tiny pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
up to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Method
Cut eggplant in half and pierce skin several times with a fork. Place on greased cookie sheet and roast for 40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the eggplant cool completely, then peel off its skin.
In a food processor, combine eggplant, spices, salt, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Whirl until smooth and creamy. Start with two tablespoons of lemon juice at first. Taste and add more if needed.
Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in chopped parsley. Garnish with a dash of olive oil and sprinkling of paprika. Enjoy with chips, crudité or in a pita!