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I absolutely adore Gaba Ganoush. First of all, the word itself makes your mouth water, you even feel happy repeating the word, this Middle Eastern appetiser is made with my favourite ingredients: eggplant, tahini, lemon and cumin. Imagine all these blended in a tasty summer salad dressing, with cut pita to dip into it. Normally it is garnished with pomegranate, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any, so as shown in the photo, I served it with a few pieces of sun-dried tomatoes. It also becomes even more delicious if the eggplant is smoked on the grill, as it gets a slightly smoky flavour. I cooked it on the grill and it became so delicious. Nutritionally, eggplants, whose season is slowly approaching, are rich in fibre (essential both for the reduction of cholesterol and for slimming), vitamins B1 and B6, which are needed to produce energy. It can be eaten as an appetiser and can accompany a variety of vegetables, not just pita bread. It can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Ingredients for 1 jar
– 1 large eggplant
– 2 tbsp of tahini paste
– Juice of 1 lemon
– ½ tsp of cumin
– 1 clove of garlic
– 2 tbsp of olive oil
– A little parsley and pomegranate for garnish
– Chopped Cypriot pita bread in slices
Instructions
We carve a large X into the eggplant with a knife from edge to edge and spread some olive oil onto it. Bake on the grill for about 15 minutes until it’s a brown-golden colour. Let cool and as soon as it is cooled, remove the flesh with a spoon, if it is well cooked the flesh will easily peel away by pulling it. Add the eggplant crust with the oil, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and some salt in a food processor and blend until the ingredients are homogenised. Add a bit of boiling water to obtain a thinner texture if you want. Garnish with a few leaves of lemon and a little pomegranate.