Recipe: Baba Ganoush with Yoghurt

Baba Ganoush with Yoghurt.

I wanted to replicate the wonderfully creamy baba ganoush at Bon Appetit Cafe, my local Mediterranean (actually Egyptian) place. Adding a bit of high quality whole milk yogurt (like this from Argyle Cheese Farmer) may be the solution. The creaminess makes the babaganoush extra easy to spread and dip. Makes about 3 cups.

2 medium eggplants, a bit over 2 lbs
Olive oil
Smoked paprika (optional)
Ground cumin (optional)
¼ c tahini
2 T lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
Cayenne or other hot pepper to taste*
½ t Kosher salt
¼ c Greek yogurt, plain made with whole milk

Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Brush the cut edges with olive oil then sprinkle with optional cumin and smoked paprika. (I didn’t have access to an open grill to make the eggplant smoky and thought this might add a bit of equivalent flavor.) Place cut side down on a Silpat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree oven until eggplant is very soft. Let cool the scroop out the eggplant from the skin or squeeze it out into a bowl. Drain over a colander then transfer to a container and refrigerate, covered, overnight.

In the morning additional liquid will appear in the eggplant container. Drain. Add to a food processor along with minced garlic (you can chop it in the food processor before adding eggplant), tahini, lemon juice, salt and yogurt. Process until very smooth. Garnish with a sprinkle of sumac if you like. Serve with pita wedges or vegetables such as carrot, celery or bell pepper batons.

*At Bon Appetit Cafe they will ask you “how spicy do you like it?” I don’t think of baba ganoush as a spicy item but you can experiment if you like.