Hi all! Well first off, sorry about the long absence in posting….my parents were visiting us from California for 6 weeks and we were touring Malta and Northern Italy with them =) We had a wonderful time together and travelling is always so much fun, even if you are 5 months pregnant =) I think the baby enjoyed it more than anyone else!

Anyway, that being said, on to a yummy post compliments of my mom. While with us, she taught me how to directly roast whole eggplant on a gas flame. Yes, it can be done very easily and no, the house won’t burn down =) This recipe is the absolute best recipe I’ve ever had for “baba ganoush”…..I can eat the whole plate myself….even without being pregnant!!! =) =)

Ingredients:

2-4 eggplants

2 big cloves of garlic (or more\less according to your liking)

2-4 TBSPS sesame paste, called “Tahina” (found in a middle eastern store)

1\2 lemon

Olive oil (for garnish)

Salt, to taste

Directions:

First, if your gas grates are on the smaller side or if you want to do more than 2 eggplants at a time, I suggest placing an toaster oven grill rack directly on top of the burner (bear in mind that the flame will discolor the grill rack….). Next place 2-3 medium sized eggplants  together. Turn on the flame to medium. Let the scorching begin! Every 5 minutes or so, turn them over so all sides get evenly scorched.

Each stove will differ, so when you see the eggplants nice and charred like this, you know they are done….don’t worry if a bit of juice falls into your burner…..nothing will happen, apart from a good stove cleaning needed later =P The skins should be flaky and the eggplants really limp.

Using a knife, slice of all the skins, and then cut off the stems.

Using a potato masher, smash the eggplants.

Next, juice the lemon and smash the garlic together. Add them to the eggplant. Mix well.

Add the Sesame paste (Tahina). Mix well. Add salt to your liking. Garnish with olive oil. Voilà! Enjoy with pita bread or any bread of your choice =)

Buon Appetito!

Wanita =)