Description

Surprise your family or guests with this wonderful appetizer. It is a Middle Eastern dip made from roasted eggplant. It's then mixed with herbs, spices, lemon juice, tahini paste and olive oil. Use pita bread, fresh veggies, a crusty bread or crackers as

Ingredients

• 2 - 3 medium eggplants, about 3 lb. total (Japanese Eggplants, if you have them)
• 2 - 3T. olive oil
• 1/3 c. tahini paste (sesame paste)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed into a paste
• 1/2 c. freshly squeezed juice of 2 about large lemons
• kosher salt or smoked seasoned salt, to taste
• 2-3 t. sugar, optional
• freshly ground black pepper
• cold water
• Garnish:
• olive oil
• chopped fresh parsley
• herbes de Provence
• paprika, if desired
• pita or flat bread, chips or crackers, or veggies

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Rub the outside of the eggplants with olive oil; poke the eggplants several times with a fork; place eggplants in a foil lined roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast the eggplant until the skin has charred and the interior is tender and a knife pierces the flesh easily, 15 - 30 minutes; cool briefly.
3. Peel and seed, as much as you can, the cooled eggplants; scoop out flesh and roughly chop; transfer to the bowl of a food processor.