Baba Ganoush

I learned a lot on the trip I took earlier this summer to the Middle East. I learned that bagels are as foreign to Israelis as dim sum. That camel's milk is purported to be a powerful aphrodisiac. That in Egypt, "No" means "I speak English, and can easily be gulled into buying that knick-knack I just tried to refuse." That nothing scares me more than the fear of others.

And I learned about tahini. A creamy, nutty-tasting paste made from sesame seeds, tahini is a key part of hummus (which both Israelis and Palestinians can agree is great) and delicious on falafel (a key part of my diet as a vegetarian). My personal favorite use for tahini is in baba ganoush, a pureed eggplant spread. The recipe is quick and easy, and the resulting spread great as an appetizer with pita bread or raw veggies, or to spread on sandwiches.

Baba Ganoush

3 small eggplants (or 2 large)
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup tahini
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the eggplant into pieces about 1 inch thick and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until soft to the touch but not dry. Alternately, you can just place the whole eggplant on a cookie sheet in the oven, prick it with a fork and bake until soft. This takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on the oven.

Let the baked eggplant cool and peel off the skin, or cut it open and scoop out the meat. Put into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until creamy.