Friday, August 21, 2009

A way to use up your eggplants!

Baba Ganoush

Ingredients

to serve


Instructions

1. Pierce the skins of the eggplants several times and place them on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until the outsides crinkle and the insides become very soft.

2. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides.

3. Using a food processor puree the pulp with the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, parsley, and salt until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

4. Line a warmed pita pocket with leaf lettuce, spoon in the baby and serve as is, or, if desired, top with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

Meal Planning: *preparation Time: 15 minutes; Baking Time: 40 minutes. Serve with soup or salad. *Smoky eggplant flavor and creamy texture of tahini with lemon also makes a good dip with crudites. Prepare as a side dish for a Middle Eastern Combo Plate with Hummus (79) or White Bean Dip (87) and Carrot Salad (p321) *For a nondairy alternative, top with chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped black olives, and alfalfa sprouts. Per 6-oz serving with pita: 247 cals, 11.3 g fat, 496 mg sodium. Recipe From: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd: Recipes with a Vegetarian Emphasis for 24 or More, by The Moosewood Collective

2 comments:

Paul said...

Hi Erin,
I made Baba last week, and had good success simply microwaving the eggplants. Again, they need to be pierced, and then just cooked until they melt inside.
Another batch I did on the stove top by simmering cubes of eggplant in a little water until they 'melted'.

Mr. D. said...

Hey Erin and Friends,
For smaller, single eggplant batches, I've been using the original Moosewood Cookbook's Baba Ganouj recipe with the same procedure this summer. If the BBQ grill happens to be part of a meal, it's a great opportunity to grill the eggplant...cut in half & brushed with a little olive oil then skin side down for about 30-45 minutes. I scrape off the charred surface before scooping out the inside.
The ingredients for 1 medium (7") eggplant:
-2-3 minced garlic cloves
-1/4 c fresh lemon juice
-1/4 c sesame tahini
-1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
-black or cayenne pepper to taste
Enjoy the taste of summer!