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Food for Thought Friday: a recipe for the eggplant lovers (and haters) 🍆
 

Hello!

How is it the last Friday in August already?! Not sure how the summer has passed by so fast!

Before the summer veggies start disappearing, we gotta talk about one of my ultimate favorites: eggplant!

I’m an eggplant lover, in case you didn’t know. There are certain instances when the 25% Lebanese part of me shines through and one of those is certainly my undying love of eggplant.

Eggplant can be polarizing. When it’s cooked poorly or not cooked enough, it’s completely unappealing: a rubbery texture with no flavor or too bitter… all yuck!

When cooked well, it is truly unique and amazingly versatile, with a flavor and texture unlike any other veggie I know. Eggplant can hold its shape, or melt itself into rich, velvety creaminess!

The creamy factor means eggplant makes amazing dips. Babaganoush, of course, is the famous - and oh so delicious - Middle Eastern one. The recipe I’m sharing today is inspired by both Babaganoush and also the "Burnt eggplant with tahini" recipe in Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty (one of my favs!).

I keep this dip a bit chunkier than traditionally creamy babaganoush, and the addition of roasted onion slices also adds some nice texture and flavor. Hope you enjoy this one! It requires a bit of effort (mostly monitoring the eggplant roasting) but it's so worth it!

Enjoy!!

Love,
Jess



GPJ Chunky/Stringy Eggplant Dip
takes about 1.5 hours total, makes 1 bowl of dip

Ingredients:
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 large eggplants
  • 1-2 lemons
  • tahini
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • dash of cumin and/or coriander
  • crackers or toast for serving (I love Mary's crackers bc they're SO crispy/crunchy!)
  • optional:
    • sometimes I add some plain full-fat yogurt to make it extra creamy!
    • a clove of garlic (or a few), minced or pressed
    • chopped herbs and/or diced fresh tomatoes on top for some color!
    • cucumber slices to dip in/serve with

Equipment:
  • oven
  • 2 baking sheets
  • knife and cutting board
  • lemon squeezer
  • medium-size bowl, fork and spoon

Instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 425-450. Wipe eggplants with a damp cloth if dirty. Poke eggplants all over with a fork. Place on a baking sheet. When oven is hot, place baking sheet with eggplants in the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.
    1. Check eggplants at 20 minutes and then periodically - rotating them to try to get the skins well-charred. Cook for 35 mins - 1 hour total until they are very soft when you stick a fork in, and the outsides are nicely charred. Note: the more charred they are, the smokier the flavor will be, but if you're impatient like me, just make sure they're really soft on the insides before you remove them.
  2. After you put the eggplants in the oven, get out a knife and cutting board. Peel and chop the onion into slices (like half moons). Place on a baking sheet, toss with a little salt and olive oil, and place in the oven with the eggplants. Roast for 15-20 mins total, checking and tossing every 10-15 minutes to make sure they don't burn, especially since the oven is at a pretty high temp for the eggplants. Remove from the oven when done.
  3. When eggplants are soft, remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes (at least). While you're waiting, you can get out the lemon(s), tahini, cumin/coriander, olive oil, and herbs if using.
  4. When eggplants are cool enough to handle, slice them in half longways on the cutting board. Scoop out the flesh into the medium-size bowl in which you'd like to serve this dip. (The seeds are totally fine to eat and will blend into the dip, but if you want to leave some out, feel free.)
  5. Add the roasted onion slices to the eggplant. Next add about two heaping spoonfuls of tahini, the juice of one lemon, about a teaspoon of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, some pepper if you like, and a dash of cumin. Stir well with a fork to combine well.
  6. Now taste and adjust the flavors. Add more lemon if you like it tangy, more tahini if you like it creamier, more salt and/or pepper/cumin if it's a little bland, and more olive oil for general flavor/mouthfeel improvement. (If you want to add yogurt, garlic, or additional spices, do so here!) I usually add a good bit more tahini and lemon, at least.
  7. To serve, drizzle with additional olive oil and/or fresh chopped herbs, or some tomatoes for color. Serve with crackers/toast, and/or fresh cucumber slices.
  8. Note - you can definitely make this a day or two ahead, and can serve either at room temp, warm, or slightly chilled. Last time I made it I found it was even better the 2nd day after the flavors had more time to come together!

^Eggplants after roasting. If they're more charred than this, that's even better! I was in a rush this time and feeling impatient so I took them out!

^Eggplants when you cut them in half. Looks like a lot of seeds but I put them all in and they mostly disappear into the dip!

^This dip looks best with some color added on top when you serve! I hope you try it and ENJOY!!
All photos are taken by me and recipes written by me, unless otherwise noted.

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Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from chore to lifestyle through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers. Sometimes the text above may include affiliate links, meaning (at no additional cost to you) I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps me to continue to share free content, so I would love it if you buy through my link! Thank you for supporting Garlic Press Jess!

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