I have to admit, this is such a fun name to say. Seriously! Like the Babalu Club with Ricky Ricardo and Luceeeee!
While this recipe is for a dish that hails from a land far away from Cuba, Miami and LA, it is the kind of vegetable-ish dish you could find on the table in many parts of the world.
Roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil and Aleppo pepper… as David says in the book, you could go many directions with this one.
This is my favorite tahini, light and flavorful. I don’t think they carry it anymore, but had some stashed in the freezer. As I really looked at it (as if for the first time) I realized that this is a sauce, so it has a bit of garlic and lemon. I like it because it seems lighter and allows other flavors to shine rather than being overpowered.
I did not char my eggplant first. I didn’t have time. And I was disappointed to find that one of them was completely unusable. I did roast them, and let them chill overnight so I could get back to this in the morning.
This is really a dump it in the processor thing, once the eggplant is roasted.
This gets whirred together, flavors adjusted, and that’s it. I was semi-adjusting quantities because of the eggplant debacle, and ended up adding some more lemon.
It’s served simply, with some olive oil on top, and I sprinkled on zatar since I have it.
This was a popular dish in our 4th of July spread. I served it with fresh veggies and lavosh, along with a friend’s guacamole as starters. I ended up substituting about 1/4 of the olive oil with some Meyer lemon. That really brightened it up and brought out the flavors. Particularly good with the fresh-picked cherry tomatoes from the garden!
Very nice dish, and a nice choice for something light. I’d prefer this a different time of year when I am happier with the oven on. But this was a nice dish that I’d be happy to serve again.
Find out what others thought about this recipe here.
dulceshome 
I think babalu ganoush (LOL) is so flexible, adapting to whatever you have on hand. Always seems to land on its feet. Your 4th of July spread sounds so festive.
Yes, it was a bit hot for the oven this week. I ended up throwing the eggplant on the grill when we were grilling dinner.
Glad it was a hit for you!
It finally cooled down here enough tonight for me to contemplate turning on the oven. Now, when it gets hot again and I go back to cold suppers, I’ll have this to enjoy! I can imagine this was popular at your holiday feast.
I really liked this dish as well!
I dread our Aussie summers, I feel for you.
Your 4th of July spread looks so inviting. This was a perfect dip for any type of chip, and even when used with a meal it seems to work. Also, it is pretty easy to prepare.
I used tahini from Trader Joe’s too, but it came in a jar. I have to say that Trader Joe’s got a lot of things right. Love serving the baba ganoush with different kinds of veggies. I have to try it with green beans.
This was good, in my books. Seems almost everyone of us liked it, as a dip, condiment, and stuff for sandwiches! R
This was good, in my books. Seems almost everyone of us liked it, as a dip, condiment, and stuff for sandwiches!
I really found this to be delicious also. Shared it with friends who were having week-end guests (a winner – asked for recipe) and kept a rather large amount for myself. I noshed on it for 2-3 days over the holiday. I had never made this before but I know I will be making it again. You seem to do a lot of cooking and a lot of entertaining. Nice. (And, Candy, did you get my e-mail? I am not sure my e-mails are getting you. Let me know.)