Baba Ghanoush is increasingly popular in the UK, throughout Europe and North America. This makes me very happy as I want people to eat it, and I also want them to try my recipe. The way I make it is a very traditional way that the women in my family have been making it for generations right at the heart of where the dish originates from. I remember the delicious smoky smell of chargrilled aubergines wafting through the warm air of our house when I would return from school.
Baba Ghanoush is one of my Mama’s home-sick dishes. The reason I know this is that even now, when she makes it-out of the blue, for no occasion and with no accompaniment-she talks about her own mother and her own memories if a childhood in the Middle East. I certainly know I make it when I want to be comforted and want something familiar.
I don’t chargrill my aubergines, which may seem unusual to you, especially if you have been told that it’s the only way to get that lovely smoky flavour. However, I prefer not to over-process the aubergines in order to get the maximum nutritional values from them. If you want to chargrill them first then turn each aubergine on a gas-hob flame for a few minutes until the colour changes and the skin pops, filling the air with that unmistakable smell.
Aubergines are a powerful antioxidant, filled with beta-carotene and fibre, making it great for gut health and removing toxins from the body.
I serve my Baba Ghanoush with a selection of fresh cut vegetables and home-made brown buckwheat flat breads.
ingredients
2 large aubergines
juice of one lemon
5 tbsp tahini
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pinch pink Himalayan salt
1 glug of extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of sumac
method
1. pierce the aubergines with a fork, place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 40 minutes (keep an eye on these to ensure that they do not burn)
2. while the aubergines are in the oven, mix the lemon, tahini, garlic and salt in a bowl
3. once ready, take the aubergine out of the oven, scoop the pulp from inside the skin, and mix into the tahini mix and crush with the back of a fork.
4. splash with a glug of olive oil and a sprinkling of sumac, and serve with chopped veg and homemade flat bread.
I only ever make as much as I want to serve and eat at the time. I don’t think it benefits from sitting in the fridge, and it’s very quick and easy to make.
The Olive Tree Kitchen 