Baba Ghanoush

Guest Blogger and Farm Table member, Christen Miller, is back to follow up her Dirty Rice recipe with this healthy, simple, and tasty dish that you can whip up easily and enjoy today:

Baba Ghanoush – it’s fun to say,  and good to eat.

There are some foods that you want to serve because they sound just as good rolling off the tongue as they taste on it. When I opened my Farm Table box this week I was so excited to find eggplant and the prettiest parsley I have ever seen. My thoughts went to one of my favorite dishes – Baba Ghanoush.

This flavorful dish, with its wonderful blend of rich flavors, is not only complex and delicious, but is also a good source of antioxidants, potassium, fiber, calcium,phosphorus, selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, and manganese. To top it off — it’s ridiculously easy to make!

My earliest memories of it stem from a New Year’s eve party I attended as a child in the home of some of my parents’ artist-friends in Austin. Texas. While eggplant was a staple in our kitchen garden, I’d never eaten it prepared like that. The rich, smoky flavor of the eggplant, sharp bite of fresh garlic, bright, fresh parsley, and tart lemon blended so well with creamy tahini and salt. I loved it so much I ate an impolite amount which amused our hosts, and embarrassed my parents.

Serve this dish as an appetizer, side or salad. I like it with pita chips or naan, or if I’m feeling like I want to go lighter, then I use cucumbers or celery to scoop up the dip.

Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 smaller eggplants
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• ¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Place the eggplants whole on the grill and roast until the skin is blackened and the insides are mushy to the touch.
• When they are cool enough to handle, break into them and scoop out the inside.
• Add all the other ingredients, reserving some parsley and olive oil as a garnish. I use an immersion blender to smooth everything out. You can just mash with a fork, but I like the creamy texture of it blended.
• Garnish with the reserved olive oil and parsley.
• Add-ons can include chopped kalamata olives, cayenne pepper or hot sauce, pine nuts or feta cheese.

Try your hand at this recipe, or create your own dip and bring to Grayhaven Winery on Sunday, October 21st at 1:00pm, for our second annual dip-off! Bring a picnic blanket and the kids while you enjoy  food, stories, wine, recipes – and more food! Observe or participate as we create our own batch of homemade apple butter to jar and send home with our members. Kids will enjoy face painting, a corn pool, nature trails, and will get to interact with the farm animals. Adults, you can kick off your shoes while sipping a glass of small-batch crafted wine by the masters at Grayhaven.  Dogs are welcome. RSVP here.