Babaganoush - smokey aubergine spread & dip

If you're an aubergine fan, such as myself, you are going to down this entire bowl of babaganoush on your own linking the bowl after its all gone. Really, I am not trying to make my cooking sound that amazing, this is all about the ingredients speaking for themselves. As has been said by most of the recent top chef of our time, use good quality products and you won't need lots of ingredients.

Anyone can make this dip, its really simple. My version doesn't use tahini, which many recipes do, and as many of you reading my blog are not big tahini bread spreaders I am sure you will appreciate me sparing you having to go hunt for this ingredient element.

Sadly for this recipe its imperative that you have a gas stove, that's the only way I know how to get the smokey taste that makes this dip so delicious.

You will need:
2 medium aubergines
juice form 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt & pepper
1 garlic clove
pinch dried chili - optional
drizzle olive oil

1. Pre heat your oven to 175 C.
2. Burn the aubergines directly in your stove. turn them every so often, they should become charred, the skin black and cracked and slightly peeling. this process should take between 8-12min. Make sure to turn them and move them so that you get as much charring as possible. 

3. Place the aubergines on baking paper & on an oven tray, allow to cook till completely soft in the

oven. this should take between 30-40min. 

  

  4. Allow the aubergines to cool, cut off the tops & add to a blender along with the rest of the  ingredients. 

  5. Whizz in the blender till the its become a dip. 

Enjoy with some pita, or turkish bread or use in your hamburger or a sandwich with some ruccula and roast beef.