Here’s the last post of my Mediterranean series (for now). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make falafel before I left for university. I was planning to make it on my last day, but I ended up babysitting, saying goodbye to my friends and packing. I’ll make falafel over Christmas break. In the meantime I’ll be posting plenty of other recipes. So for now, here’s how to make baba ghanouj. I do use a plastic food processor for this recipe, but I’ve had it for a really long time and I think that as long as I have it I may as well get some good use out of it. If you don’t want to use a food processor a food mill will work for pureeing the eggplant. Then you can just mix everything together really well in a bowl. Make sure to mince the garlic really finely if you don’t use a food processor though. Here are the ingredients you need for baba ghanouj:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil (glass bottle or bulk)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp tahini (glass jar)
• 1 tsp cumin (I bought this in the bulk spices section of my grocery store)
• 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp salt (bulk)

Stab the eggplants several times or prick them with a fork. This is really important! They will explode in your oven if you skip this step. Place the eggplants in a baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees for about an hour, or until skin is wrinkled and the eggplants are soft. Let cool, especially if you use a food processor. Putting hot food in a plastic food processor will make it easier for chemicals for leach out of the plastic.

Cut the tops off of the eggplants and peel the skins off. I usually cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and use my fingers to peel them. Add the eggplant flesh to a food processor along with all the other ingredients. Process until smooth. Serve with the other Mediterranean dishes I’ve posted.