Baba Ghanoush

For a long time, I tried so hard to love eggplant. It's just that with all the mediocre-to-bad eggplant parmesan I had eaten over the years, I felt my quest to be converted was destined to fail. I may have had a decent caponata once, but just wasn't convinced. But then, one day in late 2007, soon after moving to New York, I went on a limb and ordered "fire roasted eggplant dip" at a hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern place in Brooklyn at 2:00 in the morning. It had a tangy, smokey and complex flavor that was nothing like the slimy, bitter eggplant I had tasted in the past. The dish's Arabic name was baba ghanoush, and it made me an eggplant convert. Akin to fashion, this dish is a testament to how essential it is to prepare ingredients in ways that are flattering to their textures and flavor profiles. And yes, I'm thinking of you, too, brussels sprouts!

I got this recipe from David Lebovitz's Living the Sweet Life in Paris blog, and made just a few small modifications.

Ingredients:
Two large eggplants (also known as aubergines)
1/2-cup tahini*
Three cloves garlic
Juice of two lemons
Depending on how thick you want the dip to be, either 1 or 1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste
Teaspoon smoked paprika
Cilantro or parsley, a handful to be incorporated into the dip and more to garnish it
Olives, for garnish

*Tahini is a ground sesame paste that can be found in Middle Eastern markets and in many supermarkets. It's an ingredient in hummus as well.

Procedure:
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
(2) If you have a gas stove, char each eggplant, one per burner, directly over the open flame and turn it every minute or so until all sides are slightly charred. This should take about 5 minutes and will impart a slightly smokey flavor on the eggplant's inner flesh. For a more aggressive smokey flavor, char for 10 minutes. If you have an electric stove, use the broiler to achieve the same char effect.
(2) Put the eggplants on a tray and let bake for 30 minutes. When eggplants are ready, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly to make it easier for you to handle the flesh,.
(3) When eggplants have cooled slightly, scoop out all of the flesh.
(4) Using a blender or food processor, combine the eggplant flesh with the tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro or parsley, smoked paprika, and salt.
(5) Garnish with olives and remaining cilantro or parsley, and serve with pita bread or cucumber slices for dipping.