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Baba Ghanouj - from Nicola's
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Cuisine: Lebanese Middle Eastern
From the menu of . . . Nicola's
1602 LaVista Road N.E., Atlanta
404-325-2524
Q: Nicola's Baba Ganoush: This is probably misspelled, but I would love the recipe.
-- Jennie Caine, Atlanta
A: That spelling of the Middle Eastern dish works just fine, as do several others. No matter how you spell it, though, you'll still get a wonderfully smoky spread made with eggplant, sesame, lemon and garlic.
"That is one of the most healthy things you can get, " says owner Nicola Ayoub, who introduced his customers to the dish more than two decades ago.
Hands on time: 10 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes Serves: 8
Ingredients:
-
1 fancy eggplant (slightly over 1 pound)
4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
3 tablespoons tahini (see cook's note)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the eggplant a few times with a knife, place it in a shallow baking dish and roast it until it softens, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven, cool it about 10 minutes at room temperature, and then chill it in the refrigerator until it is cool enough to handle (about 20 minutes).
In a blender, puree the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini and blend. Cut the stem top off the eggplant, peel it and drop it in the blender, along with any juices that collected in the baking dish. Add the salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Puree. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the baba ghanouj to a serving dish and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
In a blender, puree the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini and blend. Cut the stem top off the eggplant, peel it and drop it in the blender, along with any juices that collected in the baking dish. Add the salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Puree. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the baba ghanouj to a serving dish and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Notes:
You can mash the ingredients by hand if you like, but the dip comes together very quickly in the blender. Serve the dip with wedges of pita bread or with raw vegetables.
Cook's note: Tahini, a paste made of sesame seeds, is available in most grocery stores.
Cook's note: Tahini, a paste made of sesame seeds, is available in most grocery stores.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 81 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 2 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 275 milligrams sodium.
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Recipes from: Nicola's