1 medium eggplant (1½ to 2 lb)
½ cup parsley
1 medium clove garlic
1 medium onion (about ¼ lb)
1 large tomato
1 small green pepper
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Ideally, you should pierce the eggplant and brown it under the broiler, on a grill, or over a gas flame, rotating it frequently, until all the sides have charred. Barring that, you can halve the eggplant lengthwise, prick the skin with a fork, and bake cut side down on a baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven for 25 minutes. While the eggplant is cooling, finely mince the parsley, garlic and onion, and roughly chop the tomato and pepper. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the skin. Mash the pulp, stir in the chopped vegetables, lemon juice, oil, tahini and salt. Taste for seasoning. It's best to let the flavours mingle for at least a few hours before serving. Serve with pita bread and/or assorted cut vegetables.
Notes
A family recipe.
Suggestions
There are many different variations. Technically, since we include tahini, this is not Baba ghanoosh, but Baba ghanoosh bi tahini, that is, ‘Baba ghanoosh with tahini’. Few establishments in America make the distinction; most of the Baba ghanoosh you find here will have tahini in it. The consistency will also vary: some purée it until the pulp is smooth and creamy; some give it just a few whirrs in the food processor till it's the consistency of chunky peanut butter; and some leave the vegetables roughly cut so it's chunky like salsa. Some folks omit the tomato or onions or even ‐egads! the eggplant's seeds. Some even simmer the paste in a frying pan for an hour.
