Baba Ganoush

We were cooking a continental dinner for a casual gathering with friends. On the menu, there were falafel pita wraps and spaghetti with veggies! The Mediterranean touch to the menu gave my hubby the craving for Baba Ganoush! Now this was something I had not tried before and was obviously nervous. Moreover, it was after work and I had not much time for a trial run. I looked up a quick recipe and tweaked it to my style.

Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 25 min
Difficulty level: easy
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Eggplant: 1 large
Tahini: 1/4 cup
Garlic: 3 cloves (minced)
Lemon juice: 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Cumin powder: a pinch
Salt: to taste
Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tblsp
Fresh parsley: 1 tblsp (finely chopped)
Kalamata olives: 1/2 cup (sliced or whole)

Procedure:

Make small slits in the eggplant with a sharp knife. Bake the eggplant in a preheated oven at 375F or microwave  it for about 5-7 minutes until it is cooked and the skin chars out. You can also choose to cook it on a flamed stove to get that burnt taste, turning it frequently! Keep aside and let it cool. Peel the skin off and transfer the eggplant to a bowl; mash it using a fork until it is of a semi-paste consistency. Add tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, cumin powder and salt. Mix well. Even it out in the bowl using the back of a spoon. Drizzle olive oil and garnish with parsley.

I must flaunt it - it was a SUPER HIT. Every bit of it vanished that night!!!