Baba Ganoush with Kalamata Relish

My food allergies and dietary restrictions have made me an expert at adapting recipes and substituting ingredients to recreate the flavors I love in a way that (1) doesn’t upset my stomach, and (2) won’t kill me. Seriously.

Baba ganoush, a simple eggplant dip, comes pretty close to hummus, which I sadly cannot eat because of the chickpeas. I don’t mind though. I love baba ganoush even more, especially when the eggplant has been grilled or roasted at a very high temperature until the skin is crackly and charred. When eggplant is cooked this way, it takes on a smoky flavor to which hummus can’t compare.

Roast a few garlic cloves along with the eggplant, and puree everything with traditional flavors: lemon, tahini, sometimes cumin. I like to top mine with something green, like watercress or cilantro, and something sharp and briny, like kalamata relish with fresh cilantro, olives, red onion, mint, olive oil, and gray sea salt.

So how do you eat it? Just like a dip. Cut up your favorite vegetables, or serve with this easy-to-make Gluten-Free Flat Bread.

Baba Ganoush with Kalamata Relish

• Author: This Honest Food

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Description

This smoky eggplant dip is topped with a sharp and briny olive relish and ready for dipping. Gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free.

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Ingredients

For the roasted eggplant:

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 peeled garlic cloves

For the relish:

• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 small red onion, peeled
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch of gray sea salt

For the baba ganoush:

• Roasted eggplant
• Roasted garlic
• 2 tbsp tahini
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp gray sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup plain, full-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup watercres
• Kalamata relish

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Instructions

For the roasted eggplant:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise. Place eggplant and garlic cloves on sheet pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over one half of the eggplant; repeat with other half. Rub oil over eggplant halves and garlic cloves to coat.
3. Place sheet pan in oven. Bake 40 minutes, or until eggplant is soft and skin begins to char.
4. Remove pan from oven, let cool 30 minutes; scrape eggplant flesh from the skin, set aside. Discard skin.

For the relish:

1. Mince olives, red onion, mint, and cilantro; transfer to a small bowl.
2. Stir in olive oil and sea salt; set aside until ready to serve.

For the baba ganoush:

1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add eggplant, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, (optional) cumin, and olive oil.
2. Blend on high until smooth. Season with additional lemon juice or salt as needed.
3. Transfer baba ganoush to a serving bowl; top with yogurt, watercress, and kalamata relish. Serve at room temperature.

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