anyone have an authentic Baba Ghanoush recipe? or other good eggplant recipes?

[pixiepunk]

I was gifted a big load of eggplant yesterday (along with a ton of peaches! i love my friends!) and I would love to make some Baba Ghanoush. When it comes to middle eastern cuisine i'm a bit of a snob because I'm half Israeli, and because I used to work in a middle-eastern restaurant (Jordanian, specifically). Anyway, for some reason of all my family recipes I don't have a family Baba Ghanoush recipe, so i was hoping someone here had a wonderful one they wouldn't mind sharing!

I'm also ISO other cool things to do with eggplant, i'm already planning a big eggplant parmesan, but will definitely have more eggplant leftover after those two endeavors, so hit me with other eggplant recipes you love too!

TIA!

[JessicaS]

I use Alton Brown's recipe, I don't know how authentic it is but it is pretty simple

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

[Sayward]

I don't know that it's entirely authentic, but mine sure is delicious!

[velochic]

My dh is from Turkey, his family is Armenian. His mother had an authentic Middle Eastern Baba Ghanoush, passed on to his sister. They call it "Poor Man's Caviar". This is how his sister and mother (who has now passed) taught it to me. For my own records, they gave me the recipe from an Armenian cookbook written in English, but it's exactly the way they made/make it and their family have done it for generations. It is authentic, although realize that the eggplant and green pepper (and even garlic) are not the same varieties as we have in the U.S. It still doesn't taste like it does when we're in Istanbul, but that could be the hands of chef, too. They are/were amazing cooks.

Here it is...

Poor Man’s Caviar

1 large eggplant (about 1 kilo or 2 lbs.)
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teacup (½ c.) finely chopped green pepper
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
3 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper as you want
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice

Cut the stem and hull from the eggplant and discard. Bake eggplant in a preheated oven (425F / 220C / Gas 7) about 1 hour, turning several times, until the flesh is very soft and the skin is charred.

In a small skillet heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and fry, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned. Add he green pepper and garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes. When the eggplant cools, peel off skin and slit it open. Scoop out the seeds and discard.

Place the eggplant pulp in a bowl and mash it. Stir in the contents of skillet, tomatoes, and salt and pepper and mix well. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet and heat over moderate heat. Add the eggplant mixture and bring to a boil, stirring continuously, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture in the pan has evaporated and the mixture has thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Lavash (Armenian Thin Bread).

[es1967]

Originally Posted by Sayward

I don't know that it's entirely authentic, but mine sure is delicious!

That sounds good. I have 3 eggplants in my refrigerator and I hope they are not bad. I always wait too long before using them.

[pixiepunk]

thanks, everyone! i think perhaps i will need to make more than one batch so i can try all these wonderful variations

velochic - WOW, thanks so much for sharing your family recipe! i'm definitely going to try this one first, and all the ingredients can come out of my garden

[TheGirls]

On the subject of other things to do with an eggplant, this spicy thai eggplant is one of my favorite recipes. It works with any kind of eggplant if you just cut it in cubes. Very quick and easy too.

[Chicky2]

Ratatouille is always a hit here.

Or I take an onion, an eggplant, mushrooms, a bell pepper or two, some garlic, and celery and chop it all up. Then I sautee a bit in butter and olive oil. I add oregano, anise seed, salt and pepper and a generous dash of cinnamon. I add in a pound of browned ground beef (or turkey or wild pig, rabbit, goat, or lamb!), and a can of tomatoes, or fresh chopped tomatoes. Simmer a few minutes and then dump into a casserole and top w/loads of parmesan (why does it say I'm spelling that incorrectly???) and cook for 25 minutes or so. Then I sprinkle fresh basil and Italian parsley on top and serve. Good over pasta or plain.

OR I roast a head of garlic, mash it up (use the oil it was roasted in!) and add to a mixture of ricotta and grated mozzarella. Add an egg and mix well. Thinly slice (lengthwise) eggplant (skin on) and drizzle w/olive oil and roast til tender. Lay out the roasted slices of eggplant on the counter or cookie sheet. On one end, lay out a fresh basil leaf. On top of that put a Tbsp of cheese/garlic mixture. Roll up and put seam side down on lightly oiled cookie sheet (w/sides). Pour marinara over all and bake for oh, 15 minutes or so at 350 F. I like to do a huge pan of these alternated w/chicken breast or domestic rabbit, pounded out and stuffed w/same mixture. MMMMMMM! Sprinkle freshly chopped basil and parsley over top to serve. I like to serve it on a huge platter w/fettuccine in the middle and those rolls arranged nicely around the edges.

OR, slice eggplant into rounds (peeled). Salt and let sit if needed. Rinse, dry, and dip in egg and coat w/breadcrumbs and brown in a bit of oil. Mix head of roasted garlic (can you tell we LOVE garlic?) w/ricotta cheese and make sandwiches out of the breaded eggplant rounds. Oh my, so good!

[redvlagrl]

I'm sure most of these recipes are great, but I would add that it's really important to grill the eggplant over an open flame and really char the outside. You can use a bbq or even teh gas burner on your stove. keep turning it over until it's really balck and soft all the way through then peel, throw it, garlic, EVOO, salt pepper, tahini and lots of lemon into your food processor.

This is according to my ex SIL (lebanese). Her grandma said that you should try and get the darkest eggplants you can because they have fewer seeds.

[JlyGrnMigt]

If you have any of the long, skinny Asian eggplant, I have a couple of great Filipino recipes.

The first is called Torta, and you can pretty much add anything you want. You need at least one eggplant and one egg per person. I learned it plain. You first roast the eggplant over and open flame, holding it by the stem. Once it's soft, peel it by sticking the tine of a fork under the skin up by the stem and running it along to the bottom. Don't stab it - just use one tine sideways like you're weaving.

In a small bowl, beat one egg. YOu can leave this plain or add a little ground pork, potato, green pepper, etc. Just make sure whatever you add is cut up tiny and pretty small in amount or else the egg won't be enough.

Now stab and shred the eggplant with a fork. Keep the stem on! Spread it out in a small frying pan that's already hot and oily. Dump the egg mixture on top. Flip when you think the bottom is slightly browned. Using the stem helps to flip it

Serve with a mix of soy sauce and vinegar. Add hot peppers to the sauce if you want.

[zebaby]

I just made a baba without tahini and it definitely was missing something. Also, I second making sure it's soft all the way through.