Melizanosalata Baba Ganoush is a popular Middle Eastern dish that combines the smoky, rich flavor of roasted eggplant with tahini, garlic, and spices. Typically served as a dip or spread, this vegan and gluten-free dish is a delightful addition to any appetizer platter or mezze spread. Its creamy texture and tangy, smoky flavor make it a favorite among vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Whether you're looking for a healthy snack, a party appetizer, or a flavorful complement to your main course, melizanosalata baba gannooj is a versatile and delicious choice.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
MELITZANOSALATA RECIPE
Steps:
- Keep the eggplant whole and pierce with a fork in a few places.
- Smoke the eggplant. Place the eggplant over a gas flame, grill or under a broiler, and cook, turning around using a pair of tongs, until the skin is fully charred, and the eggplant is quite tender.
- Cool and drain eggplant. Place the eggplant in a bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle (a bowl is helpful because the eggplant will release some juices). Peel the charred skins off and discard. Cut the eggplant into chunks and place in a colander to get rid of any remaining excess juices (about 10 more minutes).
- Transfer the eggplant to a mixing bowl. Add the garlic, onion, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil. Add salt and pepper and spices (if using). Mix to combine and use your fork to break up the eggplant into smaller chunks.
- At this point, if you have the time, it's a good idea to cover and chill the eggplant dip in the fridge for a few brief minutes.
- Transfer the eggplant dip to a serving plate and spread. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil. Arrange Garnish with lemon zest, parsley, red onions, olives, a sprinkle of feta. Serve with crusty bread or pita bread.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 129.1 kcal, Carbohydrate 11.9 g, Protein 2.1 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 203.3 mg, Fiber 5.5 g, ServingSize 1 serving
BABA GHANNOUJ
Steps:
- Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.
- Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.
TRADITIONAL BABA GHANOUSH
A traditional recipe for this eggplant dip. It consists of baked eggplant with garlic, lemon juice, and tahini sauce. Dip into this with pita bread and you have yourself a delicious-and-light appetizer.
Provided by IMANKAY
Categories Appetizers and Snacks Dips and Spreads Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 3
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange oven racks so you have one low and one high in the oven.
- Cut a shallow slit along the side of the eggplant and place into a baking dish.
- Roast in preheated oven on the lower rack until the eggplant is completely shrunken and soft, about 40 minutes. Move dish to higher rack and continue baking until the skin is charred, about 5 minutes more. Let eggplant cool until cool enough to handle.
- Peel and discard skin from eggplant. Put eggplant into a bowl; add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir until ingredients are evenly mixed. Drizzle olive oil over the baba ghanoush and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 96.5 calories, Carbohydrate 5.3 g, Fat 8.7 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 1.9 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 11.6 mg, Sugar 0.2 g
BABA GHANOUSH
A roasted eggplant dip or spread. Delicious served with pita or vegetables, alongside hummus or on its own!
Provided by Becky
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Eggplant
Time 3h45m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of cold water. Remove from water, and peel skin off.
- Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer eggplant mixture to a medium size mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 66 calories, Carbohydrate 4.6 g, Fat 5.2 g, Fiber 2.2 g, Protein 1.6 g, SaturatedFat 0.7 g, Sodium 7 mg, Sugar 1.2 g
BABA GHANOUJ
As sesame tahini sits, the oil separates, so the mixture should be stirred before it's used. Sesame tahini should be slightly runny - virtually all of the imported brands that I use have this consistency, but domestic versions can be thick and pasty, and a bit flavorless. You can find imported tahini in Mediterranean markets and in many grocery stores. It must be stored in the refrigerator once opened. Baba ghanouj is a signature Middle Eastern grilled eggplant puree enriched with tahini and seasoned with lemon juice and lots of garlic. The dish has a smoky, pungent flavor. Don't forget to pierce the eggplant before you put it on the grill. You can also grill it inside over a gas flame.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dips and spreads, appetizer
Time 1h15m
Yield About 2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Prepare a hot gas or charcoal grill. Pierce the eggplants in several places with a fork or the tip of a knife, and place over the hot coals. Grill, turning regularly, until soft and blackened all over. If you don't have a grill but do have a gas stove, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover the top of your stove under the burner grates with foil to facilitate cleaning. Turn on your oven fan (so the smoke alarm won't go off), and roast the eggplants directly over the flame, turning often until charred and softened. Small, thin eggplants will cook through this way, but larger eggplants must be finished in the oven. Wrap in foil, and place in the hot oven for 20 minutes until thoroughly softened. You can also roast the eggplant under a broiler until charred and softened. The flavor of the baba ganoush will not be as smoky.
- Place the grilled eggplant in a colander in the sink, and allow to cool and drain. Peel and discard the black skins, cut off the stems, and let the eggplants sit in the colander to drain for another 15 to 30 minutes.
- Puree the eggplant in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the lemon juice, yogurt and tahini. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic to a paste with a generous pinch of salt. Add to the food processor, and blend with the eggplant. Add salt to taste.
- Mound the puree in a bowl or on a platter, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with pita bread.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 188, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 19 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 8 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 629 milligrams, Sugar 9 grams
BABA GANOUSH
Provided by Michael Symon : Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 20m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
- Prick the eggplants all over the surface with a fork. Place on the direct heat side of the grill or directly on to the coals, close the lid of the grill and char on all sides, turning once the skin begins to darken and crack, about 5 minutes per side. When the eggplants have softened through, remove to a resealable bag and allow to steam for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the eggplants and discard the skin and most of the seeds.
- In the meantime, make the tehina. Break up the garlic cloves into a blender or food processor, leaving them in their papery skins. Add the lemon juice and salt and blend into a pulpy purée. Press the mixture though a strainer set over a bowl containing the tahini. Whisk to combine; the mixture will thicken and seize up. Whisk in the ice water, smoothing out into a loose sauce.
- Add the cleaned eggplant to a blender or food processor while still warm. Pour in all the tehina and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and lemon juice if needed. Serve with olive oil drizzled over the top.
BABA-GANOUJ ( BABA GHANOUSH / BABA GANNOUJH )
This is a Middle Eastern dip made of eggplants and tahini. Roasting the eggplants under a broiler or in the oven gives it a nice smokey flavor.
Provided by Sephardi Kitchen
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h5m
Yield 2 cups, 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Wash the eggplants, and pierce the skin with a fork. Heat in a 400-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the skin blisters, and the eggplant collapses.
- Wait for the eggplant to cool, then separate the pulp from the skin. Squeeze the pulp to remove the juice (which is bitter), and mash to break up any large pieces.
- Finely mince the garlic, and cook in a pan with a little oil until lightly browned. Mash the garlic, and stir into the eggplant. Mix in the lemon juice, salt and tahini, adjust amounts to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and minced parsley (optional).
- Refrigerate if desired, and serve with flatbread, chips, or by itself.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 91.8, Fat 5.1, SaturatedFat 0.7, Sodium 228.3, Carbohydrate 10.9, Fiber 5.6, Sugar 3.3, Protein 3.2
MELITZANOSALATA (BABA GANNOOJ)
Steps:
- 1. On a very hot grill, cook the eggplants turning till charred all over. Grill until skins darken and wrinkle on all sides and eggplants are uniformly soft when pressed with tongs, about 25 minutes for large globe eggplants, 20 minutes for Italian eggplants, and 15 minutes for Japanese eggplants, turning every 5 minutes and reversing direction of eggplants on grill with each turn. Transfer eggplants to rimmed baking sheet and cool 5 minutes. 2. Set small colander over bowl or in sink. Trim top and bottom off each eggplant. Following illustration 3, slit eggplants lengthwise and use spoon to scoop hot pulp from skins and place pulp in colander (you should have about 2 cups packed pulp); discard skins. Let pulp drain 3 minutes. 3. Transfer pulp to workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Add lemon juice, oil, garlic, tahini, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until mixture has coarse, choppy texture, about eight 1-second pulses. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper; transfer to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap flush with surface of dip, and refrigerate 45 to 60 minutes. To serve, use spoon to make trough in center of dip and spoon olive oil into it; sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Tips:
- For the best flavor, use ripe, flavorful eggplants. Look for eggplants that are heavy for their size and have smooth, shiny skin.
- To roast the eggplants, you can use a grill, oven, or stovetop. If using a grill, preheat it to medium-high heat. If using an oven, preheat it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the eggplants are roasted, let them cool slightly before handling them. The skin will be very hot!
- When peeling the eggplants, be careful not to remove too much of the flesh. The flesh is what gives the baba ganoush its creamy texture.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can mash the eggplant by hand. However, a food processor will give you a smoother texture.
- Taste the baba ganoush and adjust the seasonings to your liking. You may want to add more lemon juice, salt, or garlic.
- Baba ganoush can be served immediately or chilled for later. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Conclusion:
Baba ganoush is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a dip, spread, or condiment. It is a great way to use up leftover eggplant and is also a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. With its smoky flavor and creamy texture, baba ganoush is sure to be a hit at your next party or gathering.
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