What's cooking: Baba ganoush

So my last post confirmed what I have long suspected: Not everyone who reads my blog shares my political views. And, yes, I admit to being pretty extreme in some of them. As I clarified in my comments, I do not think Bush was involved in some kind of 9/11 conspiracy, but I do claim my right to blame him for everything I'm unhappy about, including the weather.

But even if we don't all agree, I'm happy to have you here. If you lived next door to me, I'd share my pie crust recipe with you. In the meantime, in response to an earlier commenter's request, I will share my baba ganoush recipe. I made it again last night, but we slurped it up so fast, I didn't get a picture. Suffice it to say though that it looks like a big glop of grey mush, nothing like the lovely vegetable it contains. Recipes I have tried in the past include yogurt; this one doesn't, and I think it helps the smoky taste of the grilled eggplant come through better. Menus at our house that include this often also include tzatziki, so there's your yogurt.

BABA GANOUSH

2 medium-sized eggplants
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tahini (this will keep indefinitely in the fridge)
1 tablespoon olive oil
optional: a few pinches smoked paprika (I'm putting this in everything these days)

Stab the eggplants a few times with a fork so they don't blow up. Set gas grill to high and grill eggplants, turning every 5 minutes or so until skin is blacked and a fork will stick through easily (about 30 minutes). Lift off with tongs and place in bowl to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, slice of top and bottom and scoop pulp from the skin into a colander placed in the sink. Seeds are ok. Let drain for a few minutes.

Place in food processor with other ingredients and blend. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice to taste.

This is best served at room temperature, so make this before whatever else you are preparing. You can always grill the eggplants in advance and keep in the fridge.

I served this last night with skewers of halibut wrapped in grape leaves, rice, and green beans and tomatoes. The baba ganoush was good on the fish, but I also like to stir it into rice. I also sometimes serve this as an appetizer, of course, with pita slices or cracker,  olives, feta, and whatever fresh vegetables I have. 

There. Do you feel better? I do.