Baba Ghanouj

Until last year, I never liked eggplant--as a matter of fact, I loathed it. I had only eaten it in eggplant Parmesan where it tended to be a slimy layer tucked inside an oil-saturated bread coating, or once, when I was served it sauteed with zucchini. Again, the texture was flabby, insipid and altogether unappetizing. That was until last summer, when my favorite local grocer, the Farmhouse Table Store, started carrying Baba Ghanouj that a small company in Chelan was making. It was a game changer. I became a little obsessed with replicating the dip, but didn't have any success until I was given a recipe by my daughter's riding instructor, Dee. The recipe that follows isn't an exact match to the Chelan company's, nor is it an exact match to the recipe Dee gave me, but it's what I've come up with since, and I like it best. If you like hummus, you'll love this.

Baba Ghanouj 
Ingredients
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 Italian eggplants or (about 1.5 pounds), cut in half lengthwise
1/4 C toasted pine nuts
1/3 C lemon juice
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4-inch slices, seeds removed
1/3 C tahini
1 garlic clove
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper (no Aleppo pepper? Cayenne works fine too)
1/4 tsp Syrian Za'Atar (optional if you have it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub 1 T oil all over eggplants, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes--you want some char here for flavor. 

Cool. Toast pine nuts in a non-stick pan over medium heat on your stovetop, just until you can start smelling them,  tossing them regularly so they don't scorch. Add the cumin and toast for 30 seconds. 

Remove from heat. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides, and add to a food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and cumin, and salt. 

Puree all together until smooth. Add more olive oil, lemon juice or salt to your liking. Serve with a splash of olive oil, and a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper and Syrian Za'Atar if you've got them. Fresh parsley is also a good accompaniment.

*This recipe scales well for larger batches, and is easily canned. Pressure can for 45 minutes in half-pints at 15 pounds of pressure, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace in each jar before sealing with lids and rings. No pressure canner? Omit the pine nuts and add an extra teaspoon of lemon to the top of each jar along with a slice or two of fresh lemon, and can in a boiling water canner (same headspace as previously noted) for 15 minutes.