Friday, May 09th 2008

Baba Ghanouj (an Arab eggplant dip)

1 medium eggplant
juice of 1 lemon
2 or 3 large cloves of garlic
2 heaping Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
salt to taste
summak (a mild Arab spice) or chopped parsley for garnish
2 tbsp olive oil

Pierce eggplant in several places, set on a baking sheet, and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 1 hour. Let cool. Strip off and
discard peel, and cut remaining eggplant into chunks and place in
blender. Add lemon juice, garlic, tahini and salt. Blend until
smooth, stopping blender to push down ingredients as needed. Put in a bowl, sprinkle summak or chopped parsley on top, and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Serve with pieces of pita bread to dip into it.

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