Babaganoush

Digging out an old recipes that you used to cook a lot is like rediscovering old cloths that you used to wear. There's something familiar and comforting about them. I recently made this good ol' babaganoush recipe that I hadn't made for years. I first started making it 20+years ago. Now I can't even remember who introduced me to it? It's been that long! I really had forgotten how lovely it is. It's so soft and light and I love the bold flavours - all of my favourite things. The smoked paprika and dried oregano together, the smokey soft eggplant, the tangy lemon and the earthy taste of the tahini, all those flavors remind me of my travels through
Greece in a camper van many moons ago. 

Driving around Greece for 5 weeks in our little 80's snail van, we would only eat organic food. It was sometimes hard to find a health food store or a supermarket chain big enough to do organic vegetables in rural parts of Greece. So when we would rock up to a supermarket or health food store that stocked organic vegetables I would buy all they had! I remember coming into this one supermarket, going to the organic section which was small and buying all there eggplants, zucchini's, onions  and tomatoes, that was all the organic vegetables they had. I got some funny looks from the local Greek mamma's but I didn't care, I was so excited to have found my treasures. Strangely when we'd get down to our last eggplant and zucchini, we come across an organic store or large supermarket. Then I'd stock back up again. Sometimes right down to the last onion!

So when eggplants are abundant in your garden or local farmers market, he's another everyday recipes to enjoy. You can serve it with fresh crudite, it's divine with fresh celery or char-grilled turkish bread. It compliments any of my hummus recipes. 

Simply serve on toast or sandwiches for everyday use or as a spread to accompany burgers.

Makes =aproximately 250gm

1x medium eggplant, sliced into 1.5 cm thick

50ml olive oil

2tbs tahini

125ml lemon juice

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1-1.5tsp good salt

1 garlic clove

25ml water

*fresh sprig of thyme to garnish

Spiced oil rub

50ml olive oil

cracked black pepper

1/2tsp good salt 

1/2tsp paprika

Place the sliced eggplant on an oven tray, brush both sides generously with spiced oil and bake for 20 minutes at 190C. Put remaining ingredients in food processor ready for when the eggplant is cooked. Once eggplant is soft and cooked but not over cooked, remove from oven and allow it to cool. Once cool, add to the processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

Options: Lightly chargrill eggplant instead of baking for a more natural smokey flavour, it takes a little longer and you can't walk away from it so for special occasion and when time permits (depends if I feel lazy or not), I use this method.