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Faux Baba
We discovered this recipe two decades ago when we had committed to providing the
appetizer course for a Mediterranean meal. Home-baked pita bread and baba ganouj would be
perfect, we thought, until we realized that none of the cookbooks then on the shelf had a recipe
for baba. Not to worry. In Craig, we found a recipe for Melitzanosalata which so nearly
approximated our sense of a good baba, was so easy to prepare, and was such a success that
we have never resumed the search.
| 2 eggplants, about 1 lb. each |
1/2 c. sesame seed paste |
| 6 T. lemon juice |
1/2 c. olive oil |
| 1/3 c. water |
3 cloves garlic, finely minced |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste |
2 T. fresh oregano |
| 1/2 c. scallions, chopped |
1 c. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cubed |
| 1/4 c. chopped parsley |
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- Preheat the oven to 375o. With a fork, prick the skin of the eggplants in
several places. Put them in a baking dish and cook for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and
allow to cool.
- Scrape the eggplant pulp into a large mixing bowl.
- Put the sesame seed paste, lemon juice, oil, water, and garlic into a blender, and mix
thoroughly. Add the eggplant, salt, pepper, and oregano. Resume blending. When the mix
is smooth, spoon it into a serving dish. Fold in the scallions, tomatoes, and parsley.
Serve with warm pita.
20 servings
Source: Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey, The New New York Times Cookbook
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