Baba ganoush - a Tasty Thursday post!

Eggplant. Gorgeous, purple, round, glossy. Royal, even, depending on my mood.

Sure, you can turn it into eggplant parmesan or ratatouille. 

Or you can fire up the grill, get out your food processor, and make this awesome dip.

I vote dip. I always vote dip.

BABA GANOUSH (eggplant dip, my version)

1-2 lbs fresh, whole eggplant
1 handful fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
2 TBS tahini
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt to taste

1. Preheat the grill (or oven to 500)
2. Prick the eggplant all over.
3. Grill or roast the eggplant until charred all over and soft to the touch. Remove it from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes (the eggplant will collapse in on itself)
4. Meanwhile, collect the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. I'm lazy and do the parsley and garlic first, because I don't want to mess up my garlic press if I'm using the food processor but want the garlic to be well chopped. Then I add the rest of the ingredients on top.
5. Slice open the eggplant and put the flesh into a strainer set over a bowl or the pan or the sink. Pull the peel off of the eggplant. There will be a lot of liquid! Drain for 5 minutes or so.
6. Put eggplant into the food processor with the other ingredients and process until smooth. Add salt to taste.
7. Chill for an hour or until flavors meld. This will keep, chilled, for about a day.