Nearly everyone has tasted Humous the middle eastern chickpea dip and lovely it is too, well the following recipe is less common but every bit as tasty. My Mother-in-Law the wonderfully enchanting Nadrat made the best ‘Baba Ghanoush in Egypt. We spent many evenings on the terrace of our home in Alexandria enjoying this tasty treat. Served with soft warm flatbread, much laughter and plenty of love. This rich cream is a combination of two strong flavours – the oven baked aubergines and the rich creamy Tahina. n.b.The following recipe yields quite a large amount enough for a party dish.
BABA GHANOUSH 3 Large Aubergines, 2-4 cloves of Garlic, a little salt,1/4 pint Tahina paste ( always sold in health food shops these days) Juice of 3 Lemons, 1/2 teaspoon of Cumin, 2 tablespoons finely chopped Parsley. A little Olive Oil. A few Black Olives to garnish.
Method: Wash and dry your aubergines and cut in half lengthways, place in a baking tray with a little olive oil and baked in oven on a medium heat until soft right through to the centres. Scoop out the aubergines and place in large bowl – discarding the skins.
Crush the garlic gloves with a little salt, Mash the aubergines with a fork and add the garlic cumin, salt and mash until smooth can all be transferred at this point to an electric blender, but can certainly be done without.
Add the Tahina paste and lemon juice alternately, beating or blending as you go, you may at this point add a little more olive oil to soften further and a little more salt and cumin if liked. It should have the consistency of very thick cream.
Pour into a nice coloured bowl, garnish with a few black olives and serve with warm pitta bread or favourite crispbreads.
So lovely for a lunch break or as as a starter, an addition to other small bowls like Humous, Tzatziki,olives etc to form the basis of a Mediterranean Mezza
Nadrat. Alexandria 1979