Farmers' Market Friday - Focused on Levantine Cuisine {Baba Ghannouj}

Ba-ba gha-what?  That's exactly what I thought the first time I was introduced to this food item. This Texas Girl did not grow up knowing anything at all about Middle Eastern food. It wasn't until I married and lived for 2 years in the Northeast, that I came to be introduced to, what is now, one of my favorite types of cuisine. My husband, El Syd, grew up in Brooklyn and spent his youth enjoying all of the wide varieties of food from around the globe that are available in both Brooklyn and in NYC. It was a treat to have him take me to explore new foods that made my taste buds dance and to see how surprised he was to find out that I'd never had those foods before. 

Foods from the region are sometimes referred to as Levantine cuisine. The Levant refers to the geographical and cultural areas of the Eastern Mediterranean - the modern political areas of Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine which mark the crossroads of Western Asia, Eastern Mediterranean and Africa. The word 'levant' comes from the French meaning 'rising' and refers to the point where the sun rises (or, in general, to the East of Europe.) The most distinctive dishes in this cuisine are the "mezze"(from the Turkish word for snack, taste or relish). They are small dishes served in the region for breakfast, lunch or even, in some cases, as part of a dinner spread. 

Summer happens to be when many of the integral ingredients for these dishes are in season - at the height of flavor and availability. Items like melons, eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes and okra can be found in a wide range of "medi-eastern" dishes. We've been eating a lot of dishes from this region and in the next couple of FMF posts, we'll focus on dishes from the Levantine region that might have you using vegetables you don't frequently use or in ways you've not used them before.

First up is a delicious, smoky dish of mashed eggplant mixed with olive oil and a variety of seasonings - Baba Ghannouj which, in Arabic, means "father of coquetry" and has been interpreted to mean that it was developed by members of a harem. I'm not going to lie, between the sound of the name (ba-ba gha-noosh) and  the look of the completed dish, it could use some better PR. However, I promise if you give it a try it makes for a fabulous starter to or a part of a full Levantine meal.

Market Shopping list: 

• Eggplants - various produce farmers
• Garlic (if you can still get a hold of this from the market, do it - best garlic ever)
• Pita from Artisan Oven (delicious whole wheat pita!)
• Olive oil from Central Texas Olive Ranch

Baba Ghannouj (or Baba Ghanoush or one of the other seemingly hundreds of ways to spell this)

• 3 medium sized eggplant
• 1/2 C tahini (roasted sesame paste which can be found on the international aisle at many supermarkets)
• 1 Tsp coarse salt
• 3 Tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely finely minced
• 1/8 Tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Prick each eggplant skin in several locations (this will keep it from exploding when you roast it.) Char the outside of the eggplants directly over the flame of a gas-burner - or- you can char them under the broiler in your oven. 
3. Once charred, place the eggplants on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes (or more) until they are completely soft. You should be able to poke them with a sharp knife and meet no resistance at all.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Split open the eggplant and scrape the pulp from the skins. Discard skins. Using the blending appliance of your choice (mine is an immersion blender) blend the puree with all of the other ingredients until smooth.
6. Taste and season with additional salt and/or lemon juice to suit your taste. Chill for a few hours before serving. Serve with toasted pita, crackers, sliced baguette or even vegetable sticks. Enjoy!

Baba ghannouj can be made up to five days in advance of serving and kept refrigerated until needed. Also, like so many other regional dishes, the ingredients and proportions vary from family to family - so feel free to experiment with the recipe to make it your own. One variation adds cumin (aka cominos) to the mix, but be careful and add just a smidge as it shouldn't overpower the delicateness of the eggplant.

Happy Cooking!

sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.

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