Roasted Eggplant Dip
Ummm…hi! The past two weeks have been a bit of a blur. I ended up going away on a weekend trip to Deep Creek Lake in Northern Maryland and spontaneously deciding to move around all of our apartment furniture (like eight times). Combine that with a busy work week, poor planning, and very little grocery shopping and yeah, that sort of explains my absence in a nutshell.
But I am back with a new, incredibly simple recipe! It sort of sums up my entire attitude towards food in the summer–simple, uncomplicated dishes that are flavorful, fresh, and highlight produce at its best.
Have I told you guys how much I love eggplant? It is probably one of my favorite foods.
My favorite varieties are baby Italian, graffiti, and Japanese eggplant, which are considerably sweeter and carry significantly less seeds than standard eggplants, which can occasionally be bitter and more bland.
It took a lot for me not to just dig into the roasted eggplant halves and call it a day–but I had an ounce of self control left in me.
Instead I turned it into a dip, which I promptly dug into with a spoon. The crackers were just sort of getting in the way, what can I say?
Enjoy!
Roasted Eggplant Dip
Ingredients:
- 4 Italian baby eggplant (approximately 1.25 lbs)
- 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- half a clove of garlic
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
- pinch of ground cayenne (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and brush lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the eggplant for ~30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow eggplant to cool on rack for 15-20 minutes. Remove and scoop out all the meat from the eggplant and set aside in a food processor bowl with the half clove of garlic. Throw out the skins.
- Puree until relatively smooth in the food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cayenne (if using) and pulse several times until consistent.
- Remove from bowl and place in covered container. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with chips or crackers.
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I love this post – that photo of the eggplants is beautiful, and this dip looks so good – I can’t wait to try this recipe!
mmmmmmmmmm Eggplant!
I always buy eggplants and then stare at them hoping for inspiration to strike. It never works and I’m super sick of eggplant parm. This looks much more like what I was hoping for, so I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of this dip this summer.
Looks so creamy and delicious!!! YUM!
Eggplant dip, with a healthy dollop of tahini is like manna from heaven – delicious. I love it with simply cooked salmon. Or Turkish bread or, maybe you had it at spoon.
I’m going through an eggplant phase at the moment. It’s such a versatile vegetable and this dip looks like it might be the next thing I make!
This sounds so delicious! A creamy, savory dip sounds like heaven right now!
Saw this post on Foodgawker and had to come check it out. I have eggplants growing in my container garden and was worried how I would use them. This looks like it would freeze well…. what do you think?
Hi Kerry! Sorry for the late response to your question—I’m not sure about freezing the dip. If anything, perhaps roast the eggplant, puree and freeze just that and wait to make the dip when you need it. I’d be a bit worried about the water content and the texture. But definitely let me know if you try it!
This looks and sounds just lovely!! I love eggplant 🙂
I am SOOOO excited to make this! Did you notice I used CAPS! Eggplant is the best! Thank you 🙂
i am eating eggplant spread while i am leaving you this comment:) back home in Romania eggplant spread it is very popular, not so healthy but damn good tasty: grill the hole eggplant, remove the skin and put theme on a strainer so they live the juice. Meanwhile i prepare homemade mayonnaise , then mix it with very fine chopped eggplants and i grated a small onion(on the fine one) and salt……they are so good on a fresh backed bread …..:)) happy cooking:)
I despise eggplant, but I got a lot of it from my CSA and didn’t want to throw it out. I ended up making this recipe, and I loved it! Never ever thought I’d say that about any eggplant recipe. Delicious!