2 pounds Italian eggplants (about 2 small-to-medium eggplants – smaller are better)
2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or minced (roasted if possible)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, more if necessary
¼ cup tahini
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
¾ teaspoon salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of smoked paprika, for garnish
Prep eggplant by slicing in half, salting, and letting sit for 30min then rinse them off
Preheat the oven to 450 with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan.
Brush the eggplant lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan.
Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.
Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.
Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl.
Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down.
Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated.
While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.
Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.
Transfer the babaganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top.
*EGGPLANT SELECTION: Large eggplants tend to contain more seeds, which can produce a bothersome texture. So, it’s better to use 2 small eggplants that weigh about 2 pounds total, rather than 1 large. Choose eggplants that are shiny and smooth (no mushy parts), and feel heavy for their size and not overripe (bitter)
BEET DIP
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt or labneh
2 to 3 medium red beets (8 to 12 oz)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Salt to taste
1½ teaspoons lemon juice, if using Greek yogurt, plus more to taste
Optional garnishes: fresh dill, black sesame and or white sesame seeds, olive oil, za’atar
If you’re using Greek yogurt, line a sieve with a coffee filter, and set it over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the coffee filter and place the whole set up (bowl, sieve, filter) in the fridge to drain overnight.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the beets in a small baking dish like a pie plate or 8-inch baking dish. Add water to reach halfway up the pan. Cover pan with foil. Transfer pan to the oven and cook until the beets until very tender, about an hour. Let cool briefly, then peel the beets by rubbing off the skins. Using paper towels might help. Roughly chop the beets.
In a food processor or blender, add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a quarter of the cooked beets.
Purée until very smooth— you’ll have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between periods of puréeing.
Add 1/8 cup of the strained yogurt or labneh and purée until smooth.
Add the remaining beets and repeat the puréeing-scraping process until the beets are very smooth.
Add the remaining labneh or yogurt and lemon juice, and purée one more time until smooth. Taste. Add more salt and lemon to taste.
Garnish as desired: olive oil and za’atar
HUMMUS
Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 ½ cups (250 grams) cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 large lemon
1/4 cup (60ml) well-stirred tahini
1 small garlic clove (roasted if possible), minced
2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons chickpea can juice or water
Dash ground paprika, sumac, or Za’atar for serving
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.
Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then process for another 30 seconds or until well blended.
Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process them until thick and relatively smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
The hummus will likely be too thick and still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chickpea can juice (or cold water) with the food processor turned on until you reach the perfect consistency.
½ cup finely grated cucumber
1 cup thick whole milk greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 roasted garlic clove, grated
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon chopped mint, optional
Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, and mint, if using. Chill until ready to use.
