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Baba Ganoush

Pardon? You'd be forgiven for not being familiar with this delicious levantine dip. Unlike its name, Baba Ganoush is actually a remarkably simple mix of aubergine and spices. If you've ever had the pleasure of enjoying a mezze platter between friends (or, no judgement, all to yourself) you might have dipped your Pita/Lavash/Khubz in this dip without even realising it wasn't hummus. Baba Ganoush, however, belongs firmly in a category of its own and I'm happy to have pleasure of revealing its smoky secrets for you to recreate at home.

 

Step 1 - Baking

  • Preheat your oven to 180°C

  • Oil a baking tray with a little olive oil

  • Take your aubergines and prick a few of holes around them with a knife

    Top Tip: Don’t prick quite as many holes as a jacket potato, you want to keep the moisture in but prevent an aubergine explosion in your oven

  • Place the aubergines on the baking tray in the oven and bake for around 45min - 1hr or until the aubergines are nice and soft throughout, turning over half way

  • Allow the aubergines to cool enough to get hands on with them

Step 2 - Slicing

  • Place a colander above a mixing bowl, we’ll use this for draining excess moisture

  • Take your cooled aubergines and remove the stalk by slicing just beneath it

  • Slice them in half lengthways, then again into quarters

  • To separate the skin from the flesh, work your knife between them at one end then peel the skin away in a similar fashion to a banana
    Top Tip: If some parts of the skin are difficult to remove you can also employ a fillet technique and run your knife along horizontally, scooping any remaining flesh off with a spoon

  • Place the flesh in your colander and allow to drain whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients

Step 3 - Blending

  • Grab your food processor and get it ready for business

  • Roughly chop your garlic clove and throw it in (you can be really lazy here)

  • Add the yogurt, lemon juice, smoked paprika, 2 tbsp of olive oil and a twist of salt and pepper

  • Throw in your drained aubergine flesh and blend thoroughly until smooth and silky

  • Grab your tasting spoon. Don’t be afraid to add a dash more of anything, you’re aiming for rich and smoky but making sure the aubergines are still the star of the show

This dip can be smothered hastily into a wrap or straight onto a plate, but for a slightly classier finish, serve in ramekins with an additional topping of olive oil and a light dusting of paprika.

 Ingredients

  • 2 aubergines

  • Olive oil

  • 4 Tbsp smoked paprika

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

  • 2 Tbsp natural (or any unsweetened) yoghurt

  • Sea salt

  • Black pepper