When I was little, I used to spend every Friday night at my grandparents house. At bedtime, I’d get get into bed and my grandmother would sit next to me and read me a story. One of my favorites was the story of Baba Yaga. It’s actually a pretty frightening tale as stories go. She lived in a hut set up on chicken legs and did evil things like cooking and eating unsuspecting children. There’s great detail in the version I was read, like the squeaky gate and Baba flying around on a mortar.
My poor grandmother probably had to endure reading that story several hundred times. I’d sit there and gasp in horror while she read. Ah, those were the good old days. We didn’t have tame children’s stories like in today’s world. That’s what’s wrong with kid’s these days. <Insert my strange sense of humor here. I’m totally joking.> But I did love that story. I need to read it to The Kid sometime. It will explain so much about me. 😉
The other day when I got an eggplant and parsley in my fruit and veggie share, I set about to find a recipe that used both. Imagine the squeals of delight when I found a perfect recipe for Babaganoush! And you thought my Baba Yaga reference was random. Silly you, I always have a purpose to my tales. Babaganoush is a mediterranean spread that I’ve read about and seen in restaurants, but never actually tried before. You can use it as a dip for your veggies and also as a spread instead of mayo.
It’s kind of hummus like in texture and you can use it as you would hummus too. There are tons of recipes out there for different versions. I even saw a fat free version but I was suspicious of the taste of that one. Some used olive oil and others did not. The one I chose to try and modify did not have oil, just the tahini which has enough fats to serve as oil. Good fats though.
Babaganoush
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic or one clove
- 1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prick the whole eggplant with a fork a few times. This is so that the steam doesn’t make it explode in your oven. Do NOT skip the pricking step or you will be sorry. It will explode like the children Baba Yaga baked in her oven. 😉
Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Take it out and let it cool until you can easily handle it. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Dip and spread until your heart is content. This stuff is yummy! My eggplant made approximately 1 1/2 cups of babaganoush at 43 calories per 1/4 cup serving.
I didn’t even bother cutting the eggplant. I just dropped the bad boy into the food processor and turned it on. It doesn’t get much easier than that. I dipped veggies and also smeared my turkey burger with it. I plan to try it in my wrap next.
It was really good still slightly warm the first day, but it was even better the next day chilled! I will warn you that vampires will not be coming to your house after you’ve eaten this stuff and I could tell that a good mint was needed, but that was a small price to pay.
Have you ever read Baba Yaga? Do you like babaganoush?
Oh thank you!! I couldn’t remember the name Baba Yaga, but I remembered the story- it was a favorite of mine too that my Grammy Ann used to tell me- everyone thought I was crazy for not knowing it was FOOD until the waiter brought it to the table. I thought it was that crazy lady flying around. I’ve found I LOVE the dish and wish I could find the story. Thank you for the proper title, AND for the recipe!
I love both the story and the dip. I found a great restaurant that has baba ganoush near my house too for those times when I’m too lazy to make my own. The best of both worlds!