Recipe - Authentic Recipe For Baba-Ghannouj

1 lg Purple eggplant
4 Garlic cloves
2 Limes or lemons; juice of
One fourth cup Tehina; up to 1/3
1 One half teaspoon Salt; or to taste
A few drops of liquid smoke
extract; (optional)

For garnish: whole parsley leaves with 1/4" of stem left on and sweet
paprika (hot paprika or cayenne may be substituted).

Roast eggplant over an open hardwood fire (in that case omit smoke extract)
or on BBQ until skin is thoroughly charred and eggplant is totally soft
(test with skewer). OR Roast eggplant in 500 degrees oven until totally
soft through and through (test with skewer). Place roasted eggplant in a
basin of cold water and remove every bit of skin. Put eggplant in colander
to drain water away. In mortar, pound garlic with salt until reduced to a
smooth paste. Place garlicsalt paste in food processor and add lime or
lemon juice (I prefer lime), tehina and smoke extract if used. Process on
continuous. If dressing coagulates (citric acid will do that to tehina),
add JUST ENOUGH water, in a thin stream, until dressing reliquefies to a
thick yet pourable texture (like heavy pancake batter). Place eggplant in
shallow serving bowl. With 2 forks, shred the meat thoroughly. Do not
process the eggplant in the food processor, as that completely ruins the
texture, which should be somewhat stringy (but very very soft!). Blend in
the dressing uniformly. Smooth surface of babaghannooj and decorate by
sticking the parsley stem down in the bg in a regular pattern. Sprinkle a
little paprika between the "florets". You may also drizzle a little bit of
extravirgin olive oil in tiny pools here and there on the surface. Serve
with warm Arabic bread, tomato wedges, spring onions, oil or brinecured
olives (green or black) and cucumber pickles (NOT the sweet kind. Kosher
dills work well).

Recipe by: http://www.lombardia.com/kitchen/babaghannouj.html

Posted to recipeludigest by Badams adamsfmle@sprintmail.com on Feb 16,
1998