Smoky Eggplant Dip
Eggplant charred to ash on the outside so the inside tastes like it was cooked over coals.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Written
Method
-
Char the eggplants directly over a gas flame or under a hot broiler, turning every few minutes, until the skins are blistered black on all sides and the flesh has collapsed, about 20 minutes.
-
Split the eggplants open and set them in a colander to drain for 10 minutes, until the bitter liquid has run off.
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Scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving the charred skins behind, and chop it fine.
-
Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin together until the mixture seizes up and then loosens into a pale, pourable paste.
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Fold in the eggplant and olive oil, season with salt, and taste until the smoke, the tahini, and the lemon feel balanced against each other.
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Spread onto a plate, drizzle with more olive oil, and scatter with parsley.
Notes
The char is the whole recipe. An eggplant roasted whole in the oven tastes like nothing in particular; one blistered black over an open flame or close under the broiler picks up a bitter, smoky edge no other method gets near. Don’t skip the draining, either — the flesh holds a surprising amount of liquid, and leaving it in turns the dip watery instead of something that holds its shape on a spoon.
No gas burner works too, just run the broiler as hot as it goes and turn the eggplants more often to keep any one side from burning through before the rest catches up. Good with warm pita for scooping, or as the sauce for whatever’s coming off the grill.