Delicious vegetarian recipe that most probably was born in Arab countries. Baba Ghanoush is made from a baked eggplant, mashed with olive oil, tomato and seasoning of your preference including lemon juice, cumin, garlic, sea salt, pepper, mint and parsley. It can be eaten various ways: as a dip with warm pita bread, a salad or simply spread. It is a very popular starter in Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.
Excellent veggi recipe for those loving healthy food. Takes very little to prepare and it is simply delicious. Nutrition facts say that eggplant (aubergine) is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Magnesium and Copper. Perfect starter for everyone. My grannie used to prepare it but we called it: 'Pasta z baklazana' and we didn't know its orgins come from Middle East.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 big eggplant (aubergine) - approx. 400 g
- 150 g cherry tomatoes - cut in quarters
- 1 medium onion - finelly chopped
- 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic - finely sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- a bit of sumak spice
- freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
- fresh chopped leaves of parsley to garnish
- warm pita bread to serve with
Method:
1. Bake washed eggplant (uncut) in the pre-heated to 220 C oven for approx. 20-30 minutes until it turns soft. Remember to prick the eggplant in several places with the tines of a fork.
2. When eggplant is ready, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
3. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, scoop the eggplant flesh into a large bowl and mash well with a fork. If you like you can use a food processor although I would highly recommend to use a fork.
4. Remaining part of the eggplant dice well and add to the flesh. Combine with garlic, tomato, onion, sea salt, cumin, pepper, olive oil, sumak and lemon juice.
5. Mix all ingredients well and after allow it to stay in a room temperature for a while. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and pepper.
6. Serve with warm pita bread, crackers, toast or anything else you like.
ENJOY!!!
