Two weeks ago, I challenged my three kids to think of a country they would like to visit.  I further instructed them to choose a few dishes that we could cook, which would allow us to explore some of the culture unique to that country. My youngest, who is six, said she wanted to try food from Egypt because she misses one of her classmates that was born there.  An unfortunate side effect of COVID-19.

After a little research and some discussion, we were able to find a few recipes, but I had to put my spin on them too. Our favourite was incredibly easy to make and lent itself well to dipping.  Baba Ganoush is a simple recipe to make and required very little prep, so do not let the steps below discourage you; I’ve tried to be very thorough.  Plus, it’s packed with flavour and nutrients.

I hope you enjoy it!!  Stay tuned next week for a little dish from Russia, with love.

Baba Ganoush

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

This dip is considered vegan and is gluten-free.

Ingredients
One eggplant – sliced ¼” thick
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 clove of garlic finely minced
2 TBSP Lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini
2 TBSP cilantro roughly chopped
Tahini is a sesame paste, and it’s available in ethnic isles at most grocery stores. It’s usually in a decent size plastic jar, and it is also an ingredient in hummus, so use it often if you like hummus.

Directions

• Place your sliced eggplant on a wire rack over the sink or a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with liberally with salt on both sides.  You are looking to get some of the moisture out of the eggplant.
• Move one of the oven racks to the highest position, and turn the oven on to broil.
• After 10 minutes, rinse the pieces under running cool water. Place on a towel and pat until dry.
• Then place them onto a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. You may use a pastry or silicone brush if you would rather.  Brush both sides of the eggplant with the oil.
• Place the tray into the oven and broil for 3-5 minutes per side. You want it to brown slightly.
• Once both sides are brown, you may wrap them in foil for five more minutes then remove the skin. Alternatively, you can use the eggplant as is.
• Place the browned eggplant into a food processor and pulse about 4 times for 3 seconds each time.
• Add in the tahini, 1 TBSP of lemon juice, and garlic. Pulse again for another 5 seconds. Taste it.
• Add a sprinkle of salt for adjusting the seasoning and pulse again for 2 seconds. Taste it again.  It should be slightly bitter from the lemon juice if it does not then add the rest of the lemon juice; this will also thin it out a bit.
• Recheck the flavour, and add more salt if you think it still needs it.
• Add in the cilantro and pulse for another 10 seconds.
• If you think it looks very thick add a little water to it to thin it out, you should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
• Transfer to bowl and break out the pitas!!