Eat Your Vegetables: Eggplant
Today is all about Baba O’Riley, Baba Ganoush, and Bootcamp.
First, give this a listen. Five glorious minutes of rock & roll awesomeness in the form of “Baba O’Riley” from The Who. I mean, the opening organ alone… fantastic! Then: the outfits, Pete’s aggressive tambourine playing, and… wait for it… Roger starts singing. Dude! Plus, the gratuitous presentation of butts and arm helicoptering. It’s really just so… delicious. As is the baba ganoush recipe below, so listen and read on.
Anything with tahini, garlic, and lemon is on my “go” list, but until two days ago, I’d never made baba ganoush myself. I love when my dad makes it, but eggplant and I have a rocky relationship. Melissa Urban put out the challenge to nosh on a veg we don’t usually eat, so I revisited my ol’ purple pal.
This recipe is pretty fool-proof. I tried it with just 2 tablespoons tahini but it really needs the full 1/4 cup to sing.
Baba Ganoush
Makes about 2 1/3 cupsIngredients:
2 lbs. Japanese eggplants
1/4 cup tahini
2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped Italian parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. Two options for the first step: the fancy way and the pragmatic way. Both taste great. The fancy, grilled version provides a little smoky taste that adds depth, but now that baba ghanoush is one of my staple foods, I’m taking the easy way out and going pragmatic most of the time.
Fancy: Heat a broiler or grill to high. Split eggplants lengthwise and place cut side up on a baking sheet or cut side down on the grill. Broil/grill until well browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Pragmatic: Cut eggplant into cubes. Steam eggplant in microwave for approximately 7-10 minutes (’til tender), or steam in a skillet on the stove for 5-7 minutes.
2. Scoop out eggplant flesh and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Process to desired consistency.
**UPDATE**
Since I’m not eating baba ghanoush as a dip on pita bread (ahem), I’ve found a new processing technique that makes it more like a side salad thingy. I process half of the eggplant ’til it’s smooth, then plop in the other half of the eggplant chunks and just pulse it a few times. The mix of textures has great mouthfeel, and it looks more like food, less like someone “forgot the chips for the dip” when I put it on the plate.
3. Serve cold or at room temperature. Top with chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Here’s my Mediterranean feast, featuring homemade baba ganoush, alongside a grilled pork chop, sliced cucumber, and olives – with raspberries and almonds for dessert. This is dino-chow at its best. Hard to feel like I’m deprived when my plates look like this!
And now, on to Bootcamp from this morning, with Crystal, the 9th fittest woman in the world. It was a doozie of a team workout. By the end, the dirt on our arms and legs had turned to mud, and we were caked in grass clippings like slabs of chicken-fried steak. Only not at all delicious.Bootcamp Workout
As a team, complete:
- 300 squats
- 300 broad jumps
- 50 handstand pushups
- 10 200m sprints
Our time: 12:something (I couldn’t hear over the sound of my own panting.)
2 rounds, 10-lb. ball:
- 15 med ball cleans
- 15 2-tap + overhead situps
3 rounds:
- 5 burpees
- 15 supermans
Tags: baba ghanoush, dino-chow, eggplant, Middle Eastern, paleo
13 Responses to “Eat Your Vegetables: Eggplant”
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I don't know mel…that workout actually sounds quite delicious. In addition to the recipe of course
.
-carla
Oh my gosh… made it the pragmatic way and it is SOOO good
!
That’s so funny… I’ve been making it the fussy roasted way and thinking I should update the recipe because it’s SO GOOD with the smokey, roasted flavor. Glad to know the pragmatic way stands up, too.
That settles it, then – next time I will have to grill the eggplant
!
One thing I noticed, when the baba ganoush was fresh and warm, I could really taste all of the lemony garlicky goodness and it was super creamy. I popped it in the cooler for a picnic dinner (w/ ice), and when cold the flavors were subdued and it got… chunkier? Not so creamy.
So I guess room temperature is the way to go?
Definitely! Room temperature releases all the nuances.
[...] I made this baba ghanoush to snack on with raw veggies and we all enjoyed [...]
Hi Mel, I made this today and omitted the tahini (intending to introduce eggplant to the mini-me anyways so this is a win-win for both). Yum! May just have to keep little on the side for my citrus carnitas that I made this afternoon for my breakfasts this week
Hey! I actually have all the ingredients to make this! How long does it keep in the fridge?
It will taste fresh for 3-4 days. After that, it’s still safe to eat, but it doesn’t taste as yummy.
Any need to scoop out the seeds in the middle of the eggplant?
I’ve made it with and without seeds and didn’t taste a significant difference, so I don’t bother with the extra step.
Re: Eggplant
I have to tell you about my botched attempt at the Well Fed Eggplant Italian Sausage Strata…I cut them too thick and then did not precook the eggplant long enough…it was good but not great.We are talking texture here, and texture is so key with eggplant. I let this dish settle into the flavors for a day before serving, so when it was not disappearing for lunches by my husband and myself I decided to get creative. I put the remaining strata in the food processor.
1. Italian Sausage Eggplant Frittata
But I am most proud of this delicious creation:
2. Stuffed mini- Portobellos
Yumm! Bake on 350 for 35 minutes or until juicy and browned.
We had this for dinner tonight along with your Turkish Salad, but would be a great app for a party!
Hi Mel, I am a new dino-chower! Love all of your recipes! They always leave me feeling that I am not missing out but that I am indulging…So thanks for sharing your gift. My question is have you ever frozen the baba Ganoush? If so was it successful? We have so many in our garden and I can’t eat them fast enough. Thanks
The prepared baba ghanoush won’t freeze well, but… try blanching and freezing the fresh eggplant: Cut the fresh eggplant into large cubes, then plunge into boiling water for about a minute. Remove from the water, run under cold water, pat dry, and freeze. When you’re ready to cook, just follow the recipes instructions as if the eggplant was raw. That should work!