Babaghanoush

The goal is to blacken the aubergine to get the requisite smokiness. I do this on the Aga where I can char my aubergines on the hot plate, turning them as the skin gets black. On a normal gas hob, you can do the same thing, either directly on the flame or on a cast iron flat pan. Or, light a disposable bbq. If you don't have an aga, a gas hob, or a garden/outside space, then perch the disposable bbq on your window sill. Try not to drop it onto someone's head below.

I'm insisting upon this charring process because that's what this dish is all about really, the smoky burnt taste from the aubergines. Always include a little bit (a couple of inches) of the charred skin into the final dip.

Course: Dip, Starter, Vegetarian sides

Cuisine: Turkish

Keyword: Aubergine dip, baba ghanoush, babaghanouj, Babaghanoush, BBQ, Dips

Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 large shiny aubergines charred and skinned
1 tbsp tahini, heaped
1 juice lemon
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Maldon sea salt
handful pomegranate seeds or parsley to garnish.

Instructions

Blacken your aubergine skins by roasting them whole under a grill, on a BBQ or on a bare flame
When the aubergines look shrunken inside and the skin is all blackened, strip the skin off, discard the stems, and put the flesh into a blender.
Add all the other ingredients. Keep tasting and adjust it to your taste, adding more oil, more salt, more lemon or spices to your taste. Personally I don't like too much tahini but some people do.
Serve garnished with parsley/pomegrante seeds.