Baba Ganouj

I love appetizers. In fact, I could easily make a meal of them and skip the entree. So when I was invited to a friend's birthday party and asked to bring an appetizer, I was delighted! A "mini meal"! I decided on something I hadn't made in many years - baba ganouj. I have an old cookbook called "A Book Of Middle Eastern Food", written by an Egyptian exile named Claudia Roden. Her description of the "smoky" taste of the eggplant combined with the strong taste of the tahini as "exciting and vulgarly seductive" drew me in to trying this dish many years ago. It has never disappointed me, and it proved to be a hit at the party.

Firm, ripe eggplant, and creamy, smooth tahini

Her recipe is for a large amount, and she states that "the ingredients are added almost entirely to taste, the harmony of flavors depending on the size and flavor of the eggplants used."

3 large eggplants

2-4 cloves of garlic, or to taste

salt

1/2 cup tahini or less, depending on the size of the eggplants

juice of 3 lemons, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

a few black olives or 1 tomato, thinly sliced, to garnish

Cook the eggplants over charcoal or under a gas or electric broiler until the skin blankens and blisters. Peel and wash the eggplants, and squeeze out as much of the bitter juice as possible.

Crush the garlic cloves with salt. Mash the eggplants with a potato masher or fork (or food processor), then add the crushed garlic and a little more salt and mash till smooth (or puree in processor.)

Add tahini and lemon juice alternately, blending for a few seconds between each addition. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, garlic or tahini if you think it necessary and if you like, a little cumin.

Pour the cream into a bowl or a few smaller serving dishes. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and black olives, or with a few tomato slices. Serve as an appetizer with pita bread wedges.

In Chinese Medicine, eggplants are considered to be beneficial for the kidneys. As winter is considered to be the time of the kidneys, eggplant is a perfect winter food. Tahini can be found in grocery stores, sometimes near the peanut butter. It is made of sesame seeds, which are considered to be a "yin" tonic. In other words, they nourish the body's fluids. The mixture of eggplant with tahini is considered soothing, and can help insomnia and restlessness. Besides which, it just tastes so good!!

This post is my entry into the Weekend Herb Blogging Event hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen

For more health news, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture