palace of winds

Two words: Baba. Ganouj.

I don’t know what this traditionally tastes like, but the recipe I’m about to share tastes wonderful. I don’t even know how to describe it, except that it looks like hell and is So Tasty. I don’t know how expensive eggplants are going to be at Christmastime, or if they’ll even be available, but if they are I’m making this. I served it last night with toasted pita wedges and it was lovely. The biggest challenge is getting people to try it, I think, because of the aforementioned looking like hell.

The recipe:

Baba Ghanouj

1 1/2 lb eggplant
3 T lemon juice
1 t salt
2 t minced fresh garlic
2 T Sesame tahini
1/4 c chopped parsley
honey (optional)

If at all possible, roast the eggplant whole on a grill instead of in the oven. Fire roasting gives the eggplant that smoky flavor that is present in baba ghanouj.

// To grill eggplant:
Pierce holes all over the skin of the eggplant. Grill over medium-high heat, turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total grilling time is approximately 30 minutes.

// To oven roast eggplant:
Pierce holes all over the skin of the eggplant. Bake at 375F until tender. 30 minutes is generally not long enough; you can tell the eggplant is done when it has a consistent softness to it. [I did mine for about 35 minutes and thought it was done; in retrospect I think it could've done with another five to fifteen minutes. I've read elsewhere that you can cook eggplant by cutting it in half lengthwise and cutting slits in the flesh, then sticking sliced garlic in. It sounds like a delicious alternative, and I may try it next time, and just cut back on or omit the garlic in the rest of the recipe.]

Allow eggplant to cool. Peel away skin and discard (or halve eggplant and scoop out the flesh). Place flesh in a colander and drain for ten minutes.

Blend eggplant, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and tahini in a food processor until smooth. Add parsley and pulse to combine.

If you find it is a little bitter, as eggplant can be, add just a touch of honey (about 1t) and let the processor work it in. After you have added honey, if still a little bitter, add a pinch more salt. Believe it or not, salt brings out the natural sweetness in foods.

Optional: Before serving, drizzle with olive oil. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or triangles of flat (pita) bread.

* * *

A few notes: Personally I don’t have a kitchen scale (though I SO want and need one), so I hate it when recipes call for ingredients by weight. I used a mediumish eggplant and just weighed it in the grocery store to make sure I was near that one and a half pounds mark.

Chances are you don’t already have tahini around the house, and you may be thinking a) what can I substitute for it? and possibly b) what the hell is it? It’s a sesame paste. So far I’ve used it in this recipe and in hummus. You can get a jar of it for around $5 or $6. I found mine in the condiment aisle, though in other grocery stores I’ve seen it shelved in the ‘ethnic foods’ aisle. It seems like a lot of money for a little jar of the stuff, but it keeps indefinitely in the fridge and you don’t need much of it. It’s honestly worth the money. If you aren’t already making your own hummus, you should try it. It’s so much cheaper than store-bought, it tastes wonderful, and you have so much flexibility with it. Seriously, don’t dink around with trying to sub something else. Just get the tahini. And if you want a recipe for hummus, let me know.

I didn’t think my recipe needed honey or extra salt, so I didn’t end up adding either. I think it depends a lot on your eggplant, though; I believe they’re more bitter the older they are. But I’m no eggplant expert by any stretch — this is the first time I’ve cooked with it.

Steph, don’t read this paragraph. It has numbers in it. … Okay, for y’all doing WW — in this recipe you only have to count points for the tahini. 2T is 5 points. Again, it’s not worth it to try to substitute something else. The tahini makes it rock. You will seriously not be able to eat the whole recipe so it’s nothing to worry about. It’s a fabulous low-point dip. If you choose to add honey, 1T is 1 point, so don’t forget to count that as well. I skipped the olive oil. I guess it’s traditional to serve with it drizzled on top? But seriously, there is no call for just dumping extra oil into it. That’s just crazy talk.

* * *

And up next, a wonderful use for some of that leftover turkey. I made these this afternoon and the filling smells so wonderful and they’re all kinds of fun and tasty. I did use fresh ginger. I know it looks all knobby and scary in the supermarket but it’s way easier to deal with than it looks and it’s yummy and you can just keep it for ages in the cupboard. Or at least I have been.

Turkey Dumplings
Servings: 4 (6 dumplings per serving)

1 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 c sliced scallions
1 T fresh peeled ginger
1 T cider vinegar
1 garlic clove
1/2 c chopped turkey
1 egg white
24 wonton wrappers

Pulse mushrooms, scallions, ginger, vinegar, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add turkey and egg white; pulse 4 or 5 times.

Seal the mixture into wonton wrappers by placing it in the center and sealing the edges against each other with water (24 dumplings). Steam in vegetable steamer baskets over boiling water for 5 minutes.

* * *

It’s pretty much that straightforward. I served mine with little cups of soy sauce and chili paste for dipping. We were out of sweet and sour sauce, but that’d be another good one. And if you like and have that Asian mustard stuff — I’m not a mustard fan. Anyway. The only tip I have is to spray the steamer with some nonstick spray. I caught on after twice having the bottoms tear off the dumplings and having to scrape them out of the steamer. Third round lifted right out.

The numbers paragraph. … It’s 4 points per serving (each serving being 6 dumplings).

Enjoy! :D