Baba ghanoush — flame-grilled aubergine with tahini and lemon

pareve Israeli and Mediterranean · regular · 60 min, including 30 hands-on

Meltingly tender aubergine, deeply smoky from its flame-charred skin, mixed with tahini and plenty of lemon without being puréed smooth, and served with warm pita.

Ingredients for two

Method

1. Prick each aubergine 6–8 times with a fork to let the steam escape. Cover the neighbouring burners with foil, as the dripping juices would be difficult to clean off. Place the whole aubergines directly on the gas burner's grate over a medium-high flame.
2. Grill for 15–20 minutes, giving them a quarter-turn every 4–5 minutes with tongs: the skin should be black, cracked and dry all over, and the flesh completely collapsed. A spoon should sink in without resistance, and the aubergine should bend in the tongs. Without gas, set the oven grill to maximum from the start and place the aubergines on a rack 8–10 cm below the element, with a tray underneath. Grill for 30–40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes until the skin is black all over; if the centres are still firm, cook for another 10 minutes at 200 °C.
3. Place the aubergines in a colander over a bowl and cool for 10 minutes, until they can be handled. Split lengthways and scoop out the flesh with a spoon: a few flakes of blackened skin are welcome, as they add smokiness. Leave the flesh in the colander for 10 minutes without pressing, so the dark, bitter juices drain away rather than thinning the dip.
4. Meanwhile, grate the garlic and mix in a small cup with the salt and 1 tsp lemon juice. Leave for 5 minutes to mellow it. Squeeze the rest of the lemon, giving 40–50 g juice in total, and chop the parsley. Stir the tahini in its jar before weighing it to distribute the oil.
5. In a bowl, whisk the tahini with 30 g lemon juice using a fork: it will first seize into a thick, lumpy paste, which is normal. Whisk in the cold water in two additions, 10 g then 10 g, until you have a pale, smooth cream that falls from the fork in a ribbon. Stir in the mellowed garlic and its juice.
6. Roughly chop the drained aubergine with a knife, then fold into the tahini cream with a fork: keep some fine strands and a soft texture, rather than a mousse. Mix for one minute, just long enough to distribute the tahini; the mixture should hold on a spoon while remaining soft. Taste: smoky aubergine should come first, then sesame, then lemon, with a definite sharpness before the oil rounds it out. Add a pinch of salt or 1 tsp lemon juice if it tastes flat, or 1 tbsp tahini if the aubergines were very large.
7. Warm the pitas in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 30 seconds on each side, or directly over the gas flame for 10 seconds on each side, using tongs, if you cooked the aubergines there. Spread the baba ghanoush over two small plates, make a few grooves with the back of a spoon, drizzle with the 15 g oil and scatter over the parsley and, if available, sumac. Serve warm or at room temperature with the torn pita.

On your plate

Cooking tips

It all comes down to the skin: it must be black and dry all over, as this is what flavours the flesh. Aubergine that is still springy will give a bland, watery dip. Soak the gas grate in the sink during dinner to make it easier to clean. Never use baking paper under the oven grill, as it would burn. If the barbecue is already lit, cook the aubergines on the grate directly over glowing embers, turning until the skin is blackened and the flesh meltingly tender, then drain as described: this is the best version. The dip can be made a day ahead; refrigerate, take it out 15 minutes before serving, and add the oil and parsley at the last moment. Instead of sumac, finish with a few pomegranate seeds or 3–4 drops of pomegranate molasses over the oil.

Equipment : kitchen tongs, foil, oven rack and tray, if cooking without gas, colander, bowl, fine grater or garlic press, fork, knife, frying pan

Levantine moutabal, made with flame-grilled aubergine and tahini, known as baba ghanoush or salat hatzilim be-tchina in Israel. In Lebanon, the tahini version is called moutabal; Lebanese baba ghanoush is often made without tahini, with tomato, pepper and pomegranate.