Baba Ganoush with Slow Cooked (or Baked) Eggplant

1 whole eggplant

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup sesame tahini

2 tbsp olive oil

Juice of 1 whole lemon (about 2 tbsp)

Salt and pepper to taste

Paprika, parsley, and Greek olives to garnish (optional)

Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, prick skin with a fork, and place in crock of your slow cooker, skin-side down. Replace lid and cook on high for 2 hours. Let cool. When eggplant is cooled, remove pulp and place into a bowl. Set aside. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend well (you can also mix it thoroughly by hand, but mince the garlic first). Stir the mixture into the eggplant until well combined. Garnish and chill until serving.

If you don’t want to use a crockpot, you can just bake the eggplant. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prick the eggplant with a fork, place it (whole and unpeeled) on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes, or until it collapses when lightly pressed with the back of a spoon. Cool, then scoop the insides out of the skin and proceed with the recipe.

A lot of recipes call for the eggplant to be food processed as well. Resist the temptation. Stirring it by hand ensures a thick, well-textured dip that the pureed version doesn’t hold a candle to.

Don’t have a slow cooker or a food processor? No problem. Borrow them from the Hub Tool Share Program. Ask any MHC staff for details.