Grilled Baba Ganoush with Basil Garlic Olive Oil

My goodness they were monsters! 

I’m not sure if I’ve been growing and buying Japanese-style eggplants for too long, or if things have changed, but the American variety of eggplants at the supermarket last week were absolutely huge.

They were eye-catching, though. So much so that I took one look and decided it was high time I made baba ganoush again. 

There is no slicing and cooking for me when it comes to baba ganoush. I roast that sucker whole. But the size of this one had me a little worried that I wouldn’t get it cooked all the way through. A needless concern, it turns out. 

Instead of roasting the eggplant, I gave our air conditioner a break and decided to pop it on the grill while my husband was cooking some chicken and pork for the week. It shriveled up nicely and I was left with a tender pulp that was filled with smoky flavor. 

When you roast or grill the whole eggplant, it should end up looking like the above. You want it to be soft and tender on the inside which means it shrivels up something fierce on the outside. Once it’s cool enough to handle, slit open the skin and pull it back. Then scoop out the goodies inside. 

I couldn’t make plain baba ganoush. That would bore you as much as it would me at this point. There are plenty of eggplant dip recipes out there. So I turned to the oil to add a tasty twist. 

The basil plant is still growing like crazy. Even though it has bolted and the leaves have a slightly different flavor, it is still plenty delicious so I used it to infuse the olive oil that I blended into the eggplant. 

A winner all around. I’m not sure what it is about this stuff. I’m not a huge eggplant fan, but the second you turn it into this dip I could eat the whole container. 

What you’ll need:

1 large eggplant (American variety)
Olive oil for grilling

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
10 large sweet basil leaves, torn
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons tahini
1 1/2 teaspoons fine ground sea salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice
Basil leaves and sesame seeds for garnish

How to make it: 

Heat the grill to 400 to 450 degrees F. Rub the eggplant lightly with olive oil. Place the eggplant on the grill and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so. Cook until it begins to shrink as the flesh inside becomes tender. Set aside to cool. 

Gently warm the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until just before bubbles begin to form. Remove from the burner. Add the basil leaves and garlic. Swirl the basil and garlic in the pan. Set aside to cool. 

Once the eggplant is cool enough to touch, cut open and pull back the skin and scoop out all the flesh. Transfer it to a food process. 

Reserve 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Add the the rest of the oil with the basil and garlic to the food process. Next add the tahini, salt and lemon or lime juice.

Puree on high for 30 seconds, until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the reserved olive oil. Garnish with basil leaves and sesame seeds before serving.