Recipe: Steamed Eggplant Dip (Babaganoush)

by Judy Bloom

The surprise in this week’s delivery was white eggplant. It was much too delicate to fry and smother in tomato sauce and melted cheese. And with temperatures outside in the high 80’s, the thought of using my oven was not enticing. So why not steam the beauty and finish it off as babaganoush? Unlike the traditional method of roasting or charing the eggplant on the stove, this result is not smokey. It’s a bit lighter and full of flavor from from the fresh garlic, scallions, herbs, tahini, and lemon juice.

 

Recipe

Ingredients White eggplant, 1 1/2 lbs., peeled and cut into 1” cubes 2-4 cloves of garlic (fresh garlic is a bit more mellow, so I used 4) A healthy handful (1/2 cup or so) roughly chopped celery leaves, parsley or a combo of both 1 T garlic chives, roughly chopped 2 scallions, roughly chopped white and light green parts 1/2 C tahini 1/2 C fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons, depending on size and juiciness) Directions  1.     Bring 2 C water to boil in the bottom of your steamer. 2.     Place eggplant cubes in steamer basket and set over boiling water. 3.     Cover pan and steam for about 6-8 minutes, or until eggplant is fork tender. 4.     Make sure that the water doesn’t boil out. 5.     Allow eggplant to cool slightly and then transfer to food processor.  6.     Pulse once or twice and then add herbs, chives, and scallions. Pulse until mostly smooth. 7.     Add tahini and lemon juice and continue processing until light and smooth. 8.     Transfer to serving dish, finish with crushed Aleppo peppers. 9.     Serve warm or at room temperature with sliced carrots, radishes, olives, or pita chips.

Did You Know?

It’s often said that there are male and female eggplants. That’s because eggplants are among the vegetables (really fruits)  that contain both male and female flower parts on the same plant and can therefore cross-pollinate. That means both kinds of eggplants can develop on the same plant. One has a rounded dimpled area at the blossom end, and the other has a more indented dimple. The indented dimple eggplants have more seeds and are less meaty than their rounded dimple siblings. With fewer seeds, the rounded end eggplants tend to be less bitter. So, it’s not about the difference between the sexes, it’s all about the difference in the dimples.