Baba Ghanoush

Baba Ghanoush, the name has such a ring.  This is a delicious Lebanese appetizer made with eggplant.  The recipe comes from the Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.  First published in 1982 The Victory Garden Cookbook is the most comprehensive cookbook for vegetables.  It covers everything from growing, storing and cooking kitchen garden vegetables.  I've been using this book for over twenty year.  Amazingly, it is still available at Amazon.com.

Baba Ghanoush


1 ½ lbs. eggplant
3 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
3 TBS sesame paste (tahini)
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ cup toasted pine nuts
2 TBS olive oil (optional)

Prick the eggplant all over with a fork and bake in a 400 oven until the flesh is tender, about 30 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and process in a food processor with lemon juice until smooth. Mash the salt and garlic together, mix with sesame paste and combine with the eggplant. Cool, stir in the parsley, and serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with pine nuts. Serve with pita chip or flat bread. Makes about 2 cups