My sister, who is quite honestly the best gardener I know, once said that one eggplant shrub can feed ten families. I can honestly say I understand now, as the eggplant train rolls on. I have three fresh pick to use after this dip, 5 at golf ball size still on the plant and probably 10 zillion blooms. We are really being challenged on creative new ways to use them.
Here we made a delicious dip, very similar to baba ganouj. We also smoked the dip with a cold smoker to up the smoky flavor. We are new to indoor smoking and will probably experiment with some additional woods. Here we used hickory and really enjoyed the extra flavor. What flavors do you like to smoke with??
INGREDIENTS
3 medium eggplants, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup tahini paste
¼ lemon, juiced
2 roasted garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and lay skin side down on a cutting board. Carefully scrape away flesh with a knife and put it in a colander to drain. Mix eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and smoked in a bowl and mix together (if you prefer it completely smooth, you can add mixture to a food processor). Season with salt to taste. Place mixture under a smoking dome and use a smoking gun filled with hickory to fill with smoke. Let stand 3 minutes To serve: top with additional paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.