Smoked Eggplant Dip
Ingredients
1 eggplant
~4 tbsps tahini
Olive oil
1 lemon
Parsley or mint (optional)
Salt to taste
~4 servings as a starter or side
Method
Eggplant on gas stove: put the eggplant directly on the burner over the flame and *slowly* rotate so that every side gets fully charred
This takes a while (longer than you think) and it will smell like its burning as the skin chars, but thats all good!
There’s no set cook time since it will really depend on your burner/size of the eggplant, but you will notice the eggplant start to shrink and it should be soft/kind of squishy all around. If its still firm in places (specifically the butt of it where it’s the widest), then it’s not quite done
Eggplant in oven: set oven to 425º, poke holes in eggplant with a fork and place it on a baking tray. Let it roast for 30-40 min, rotating it so that every side chars
Assembling the dip: once the eggplant is done cooking, let it cool for a couple of min (so that you can touch it), and then cut it open longways and scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl
You don’t have to be meticulous--it’s fine if some of the skin gets in there, it will add great smoky/charred flavor to the dish
Once it’s in the bowl, pull apart/mash it with two forks -- you want it chunky and meaty so don’t blend it or worry about it being overly smooth
Spoon couple of sizable spoonfuls of tahini into the bowl
I would recommend tahini that is looser vs one that is more paste like
Add a generous guzzle of olive oil
Squeeze half a lemon over it (or a full lemon—go wild!)
Add a pinch of salt and sprinkle some chopped up parsley—add salt and parsley and/or mint to taste
Note: with salt, I would always recommend starting off slightly more conservatively, tasting, and adjusting from there. It’s harder to remove salt than it is to add more
Then mix all ingredients together by hand, using a fork or spoon
Lastly, top with more olive oil and flaky sea salt (you could also add paprika, Aleppo pepper, more parsley, more lemon—make it your own!)
Serve with pita or crudité or eat directly out of the mixing bowl with a spoon
