Baba ghanouj

By: Margaret Fulton
From: Margaret Fulton Favourites
Makes: 2 cups
Photographer: Tanya Zouev and Armelle Habib

If you like Lebanese food you will appreciate this recipe. I serve baba ghanouj on a flat plate, like an open soup plate, spread and then swirled with a spoon. I then sometimes add a splash of good-quality olive oil and some chopped parsley.

The tahini, lemon and garlic should not dominate but should meld into a rich, creamy, smoky whole. Tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, lemon and garlic, is added gradually. Taste and stop adding when you have the flavour you like.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1	eggplant, (about 500 g)
2 tablespoons	lemon juice, or to taste
3-4 tablespoons	tahini
2	garlic cloves, crushed in a little sea salt
1 tablespoon	olive oil
2 tablespoons	chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Cook the eggplant as described in the previous recipe. Scoop out the flesh and mash the pulp with a fork. Gradually beat in the lemon juice alternately with the tahini. Add garlic, mix well and then transfer to a shallow serving bowl. Sprinkle with the oil and chopped parsley. Serve with pieces of Lebanese or pita bread.