Middle-Eastern roasted aubergine dip: Baba ganoush

A soft, delicate dip with roasted aubergines and garlic.

I don't know when I first heard about baba ganoush, but I have loved it ever since, because don't you just love saying that name? It just rolls off your tongue!

A friend of mine has been cooking with Lebanese recipes lately and shared her recipe stash with me. And yesterday my eyes landed on an organic aubergine in the shop... So aubergine dip is clearly my destiny! I modified the Lebanese recipe to suit the contents of my fridge, so my recipe is more "inspired by" baba ganoush rather than genuine Middle-Eastern food.

P.S. This recipe only makes the amount of a small ice-cream bowl, so be energy efficient and double the ingredients!

Aubergine dip / Baba ganoush

1 small aubergine (about 300g), organic if you can find one
2 organic garlic cloves
1 small organic tomato, remove the watery centre
1 tsp organic lemon juice
1 tsp organic olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
Pepper

Cut the leafy top off the aubergine and slice it in half. Chop the hard garlic clove tips too but don't peel them because the peel keeps them from burning.

Lay the aubergines and the garlic on a baking tray, pour olive oil evenly on top and roast at 200°C for about an hour. Let them cool for a few minutes before you continue.

The flesh comes off the mushy aubergines easily, so scrape the contents into a bowl using a spoon. By adding some of the charred bits you get an extra smoky flavour. Squeeze the roasted garlic to make the soft garlic plop out of it's skin. Mash with a fork, or use a blender if you like. Chop the tomato very finely and toss it in, then add the other ingredients.

Taste carefully and add more lemon, salt or pepper to taste.