Baba Ghanoush
| Published: 8th July 2008 15:40 |
A great Middle Eastern dish making the most of aubergines. Chargrilling the aubergines is really important; you want a deep smoky taste to the dip. This is a really low fat dish; I use 0% fat Greek yogurt and leave out the olive oil for a super skinny version.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
4 large Aubergines
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp Lemon juice
4 tbsp Tahini paste
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp fresh Mint, chopped
pinch Salt
pinch fresh ground Black pepper
1/2 tsp dried Thyme, ground to a rough powder
1 tsp Sesame seeds
zest of a Lemon
Method
1. Pierce the skins of the aubergines to stop them exploding. Grill whole over the raw flame or under a very hot grill until the skins are crispy and charred and the flesh very tender.
2. When they are just cool enough to handle cut off the tops and remove most of the charred skin, do this over a bowl to catch the juices. Mash the aubergine a little, until you have the consistency you like, personally I like texture, but you can have it completely smooth if you wish. Fold in the garlic, the lemon, olive oil and tahini.
3. Stir in the yoghurt and mint. Season to taste, adding a little more yoghurt or water if necessary until you have a good dipping thickness. At this point you can keep it covered in the fridge for 2-3 days, I recommend leaving it over night to let the flavour fully develop.
4. In a dry frying pan gently toast the sesame seeds, and the stir in the ground dried thyme and lemon zest, then sprinkle the toasted mixture over the top of the dip and serve with warm pitta bread or crudités.
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