Recipe Time at Yanqui Mike: BABAGANOUSH!

(Originally posted January 31, 2011)

I thought that I´d written about this before ...but apparently not.  This is great, tho, for anybody who makes great big wood fires!

After a big asado down on the ranch, there´s always a bunch of coals left over.  What a shame to let them go to waste!

So here´s what I do:  when the season is running for eggplants, I buy a butt-load of them for next to nothing ...then I throw them directly onto the hot, not-flaming embers.  I give 'em 15 to 20 minutes on one side then flip 'em and give 'em another 15 to 20 on the other side.

Ask any Arab, the most important ingredient for babaganoush is roasted eggplant over hardwood coals.

You can do 'em in your oven but the result will be lame and you´ll wonder why anybody even likes the stuff!

That´s the secret.  If you roast your eggplants over coals, you can make a million mistakes and your babaganoush will still be world-class... and you will delight even your friends from The Levant.

The coals burn the skins of the eggplant to a crisp ...but the inside is mushy and lovely and oh so easily scraped from them with a spoon.  The smokyness permeates the otherwise rather tasteless flesh and will make you an eggplant lover ...at least for this purpose.

Now, you got it in the bag!

Scrape the roasted flesh away from the carbonized skin (don´t be afraid of getting a few black flecks into it, they will lend even more proof of wood-roasting) ...it´s OK if some of the flesh is cooked more than the rest ...it adds texture.  Think of it as Arab guacamole.  Everybody´s wife, mother, and grandma makes it a little different and ...like a martini ...everybody swears by their own version ...or their gramma´s.

Then add the requisite additions:

You´ll need tahini, that´s a raw paste made of sesame seeds.  You can buy it in most big supermercados in Buenos Aires ...but they tend to hide it from you in separate "imported food" sections.  Keep looking.  For every 1 to 1½ pounds of RAW eggplant you buy, you´ll need about 2 tablespoons of tahini... mix it in slowly during the whole process to reach the balance of flavor that you like.

For that amount of roasted eggplant, you´ll need ABOUT the juice of 1 medium-sized lime or lemon.  Some people prefer lemon to lime, it won´t make a LOT of difference ...try it both ways and see what you prefer.

Garlic is absolutely de rigueur. This is also to taste but should be about one clove, más o menos, for this quantity.  You can play around with roasted garlic from the same coals ...but adjust accordingly for the reduction in garlicy-ness ...or add some fresh to the roasted to balance it out.

A few pinches of cumin will set YOUR babaganoush apart from the rest ...but the quality of cumin available on the market varies tremendously.  Sometimes the cheapest tastes the best, sometimes the most expensive pulls up lame.  Brand doesn´t seem to matter.  Hit and miss.  Trial and error.  Do your best.

Salt, of course.  Keep in mind your audience ...but keep in mind, as well, that this is a savory dish (or dip) and, since it´s a side-dish, people like a little more salt with babaganoush.

Black pepper or red pepper?  That´s a tough one.  Black is indicated considering it´s origin.  However, Hindus love it too ...and they tend more toward the red (along with a little homemade yogurt!.)  My first choice is black ...but if I can mix it with some red powder like some smoky chipotle ...I´ll do it in a heartbeat.  One great way to present it is: make the recipe with the black ...then sprinkle the chipotle on the top at serving.

NOW ...as to the "herbal component", I think you need freshly chopped parsley ...but just enough to hint at the flavor.  Mint is another option or addition, and a good one, but you´d better be careful not to put anyone off.

For the above quantity of eggplant you´ll need some 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Choose a strong flavor if you can.  The "angels" of first-pressing, extra-virgin are best left for delicate salads.  Here you need olive oil that tastes like OLIVES.  When you bring it to the table, shmush a little dimple into the resultant pureé ...then fill that with the rest of the olive oil.  Garnishing with fresh mint ...if you´ve left that out, so far ...will most likely delight.

Now go get the best pita bread you can find (no advice on that from me) and dig in.  Sit under the shade on a hot day with a glass of good red wine to accompany ...and maybe some roast lamb or mutton ...and couscous.  Stop every bite or so and ponder how good your life is.

When I make babaganoush, like I did today ...just back from the campo and lots of leftover embers... I make TEN times as much as this recipe ...but the proportions are still the same, más o menos.  Once you get into it, you´ll realize how much it´s like making guacamole.  Some are a smooth pureé ...other are more rustic and chunky.  You´ll get it.