31.5.08

Recipe: Mezze! Hummus and Baba Ghanouj

Yum.. two of my faves. And oh so easy to make!
(from the New Book of Middle Eastern Food, Roden 2000)

Baba Ghanouj
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 lb eggplants
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt
4T tahini
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 t gr. cumin
optional garnish: EVOO (2T) and parsley (1T)

Directions:
- Broil or roast eggplants (1/2 hour) until very soft inside and skin is blistered. Let cool and peel, letting flesh fall into a colander.
- Mash flesh with a fork, letting the bitter juices run off. Pour flesh into a bowl and add in other ingredients.
- Mix well with a fork. Add salt and some pepper to taste.


Hummus bi Tahina
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1.25 C chickpeas (or one can)
Juice of 2-2.5 lemons, or to taste
Water
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt
4-5 T tahini

Directions:
- Blend soft chickpeas in a food processor to a puree.
- Add remaining ingredients and a little water (can be from cooking beans), and blend it up to make a soft creamy paste.
- Adjust seasoning w/salt and pepper; then add more lemon juice, garlic, or salt if necessary.

Serve both with pita and scoop-worthy vegetables. Think zucchini and cucumber slices, carrot slices or baby-cut carrots, sugar snap peas, celery sticks.. anything really.