I've been making baba ganoush for years as I love to slather it on fresh pita bread, barbequed meats and fresh, crisp vegetables. One afternoon while I was making baba ganoush, walking that fine line between taste and consistency I accidentally added too much lemon juice to the mix. Rather than add more tahini to thicken the baba ganoush I decided to add almond meal instead. What followed was nothing short of perfection. Hence, I have been adding almond meal to my baba ganoush ever since.

The other important thing to remember when making the perfect baba ganoush is to char grill or barbeque your eggplants, as that is how you get that smoky flavour to permeate through the dip. Most common to baba ganoush is the addition of fresh parsley. I on the other hand prefer to use lots of fresh mint as I think it works beautifully with the smoky eggplant and the lemony, garlic flavours.



Rather than continue to extol the wonders of my baba ganoush, why don't you go and whip up a batch for yourself and then get back to me about whether or not you think I have hit perfection here.


Baba Ganoush

Ingredients

2 large aubergines, char grilled or barbequed

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3-4 tbsp tahini

½ cup of almond meal

Juice of a lemon

2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup of fresh mint, finely chopped

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Extra virgin olive oil


Method

1. Grill the aubergines on cast iron skillet grill or barbeque, turning them often until the skin is blistered and blackened. Allow them to cool and then peel them.

2. Place the aubergine flesh in the magimix or food processor with the garlic, tahini, almond meal, lemon juice and cumin. Season to taste and then process until you have a fairly smooth consistency.

3. Place the Baba Ganoush in a bowl or serving dish and stir through the finely chopped mint. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve with fresh Lebanese flat bead, barbequed meats or fresh, crisp vegetables