baba ghanoush disappointment

Baba Gahnoush isn't "bland" exactly, but it can be mild - and is certainly more subtle than hummus. It's basically roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, a wee bit of garlic, and salt and pepper. Some add olive oil, too.

Like most things, it's much better homemade. And it's very easy - just roast some eggplant until it is about to collapse in the oven, and then puree the innards in a blender or food processor with the remaining ingredients. Let it chill in the fridge for a while to let the flavors blend, and you're done.

I eat my baba with sesame flatbread or wheat crackers, or use it as a spread on tortillas with tomatoes, sprouts and baby spinach.

I've never had store bought babaganouj that was edible. You have to make it yourself and roasting the eggplant is the key.

Ah, sounds as though I'll have to try making my own. Yes, the store-bought version seems pretty awful. My penalty for being lazy I suppose.

Oh, yes, make your own! I broil an eggplant for about an hour, till it's about to collapse, as mentioned earlier. Then I split the eggplant in half while it's still hot, and scrape out the inside till there's nothing left but the blackened skin. There's a sort of carmelization that goes on that I think contributes a lot to the taste.

I like LOTS of garlic in mine--but beware, the next day, the garlic will have doubled or trebled in flavor, so you might want to take a light hand with it. Some lemon juice (to taste), some tahini ( I get mine in the "health foods" section at Wegman's), and that's about it. I know there are variations on the baba ghanouj theme--i.e., roasted red peppers, etc., but I've never done those.

Good luck!

thanks for the encouragement! That sounds really good. I'm still sort of learning to like eggplant. It took a while for me to discover that it can actually be tasty, as opposed to mushy, slimy stuff.