Peak Summer: Baba Ghanouj

B52’s Omar Abuhejleh shares his delicious traditional recipe for Baba Ghanouj — Allegro Hearth Bakery’s Omar Abuhejleh shares his delicious traditional recipe for Baba Ghanouj

Eggplant is one of my favorites. Growing up, my mom prepared it in rice dishes – cubed, fried and then cooked in with the rice, or cut into thick rounds and then layered on the bottom of the pot below the rice. It seemed to be everywhere, but I never tired of it. It was in the moussaka, maqlooba, and baba ghanouj, and sometimes just fried and served with pita, fresh vegetables, and hummus. But probably my favorite of all time is maqdoos: pickled baby aubergines stuffed with walnuts and garlic. My grandmother made these and I hope to as well as someday.

- Omar Abuhejleh, Allegro Hearth Bakery

Baba Ghanouj

Ingredients

Eggplants

Applewood chips, for smoking

Fresh lemon juice, about 2 tbsp per eggplant

Minced garlic, around 3 cloves per eggplant

Salt, about 1/4 tsp per eggplant

Small amount of tahini, 2 tsp per eggplant

Dash of cayenne and/or cumin (optional)

Instructions

Start by roasting the eggplant in the oven. Simply rinse them, poke a few holes in each, and bake at 375 degrees for around 45 minutes or until they are soft to the touch. Remember to poke holes in the eggplants, otherwise there is a very good chance that the eggplants will explode in the oven, or worse, explode when you go to handle them. This has happened to me, so please be careful!

Another thing to remember is when checking the eggplant for being done, examine the part of eggplant closest to the stem, as this is the toughest area, but also has some of the best pulp when baked thoroughly.

After baking, let eggplant cool for about 20 minutes. Then slice eggplant lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the pulp (including the seeds). Then smoke eggplant pulp over applewood chips for around 30 minutes. Use a small amount of chips, as a little goes a long way here.

You can do this, as B52 does, on a stovetop. Use a covered perforated pan insert, like a steamer basket and pot, and position the pulp on one side of the insert so the drippings do not extinguish the chips below. You can make an aluminum-foil basket to hold the chips in your pot, which should sit on the bottom of the pot directly over the heat. (Obviously be careful here - please do not start a bonfire on your stovetop).

The next step is to chop the eggplant pulp on a cutting board. It's super important to do this by hand, otherwise the texture will not be right. You want it to remain a bit chunky. After chopping, add the remaining ingredients.

STORY BY MAGGIE WEAVER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE/ FOOD STYLING BY VEDA SANKARAN / PROP STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / RECIPE BY OMAR ABUHEJLEH, B52 / WALLPAPER: SERENDIB BY MANUEL CANOVAS, COURTESY OF COWTAN & TOUT

Try a few of TABLE’s other dippable recipes:

Hummus Two Ways

Whipped Feta Dip with Blistered Tomatoes

White Bean and Cashew Hummus with Zhoug

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