Baba Ghanoush with Chilli Mince

I love love love bringing home ideas from different cafes. This idea was from Nanoosh which I enjoyed a fabulous hummus meal there.

 It was also in NYC, that I discover that my hubby did not mind baba ghanoush which is a dip made out of roasted eggplant. A big win for me as he usually dislikes the texture of one of my favourite vegetable. I decided to pair that two ideas together to make this dish.

I love the smoked flavour of the eggplant. I was probably a little too ambitious and left it on the stove a tad too long. Otherwise, this was my first time flaming eggplant on an open stove top (as I have not have a gas stove for years!).

Blitzing it with tahini, garlic, pinch of salt and cumin and a tablespoon of greek yogurt, it tasted fantastic. A word of caution, it is quite thick, so if you like it thinner, might be worth thinning it with some water or lemon juice.

I paired it with chill mince. A hit of protein makes this an easy dinner. Hubs had a shower and came down to dinner all done.

It's also my way of bringing a piece of our holiday back home to us. A conversation filled with our little memories.. .such as walking in the snow storm, discovering mnm's world, checking out central park for the 3rd time, discovering quirky places to eat, biting into awesome chocolate from La Maison. Ah. Memories of a good holiday.

But back to Baba ghanoush, it is usually serve as a dip. I chose to have this as my main. But I think this with some vege sticks makes a good party snack, don't you think?

Baba Ghanoush with Chili mince (Serves 6-8)
3 large eggplants
3 tablespoon of tahini
1 tsp of garlic
pinch of salt
squeeze of lemon juice
3-4 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tsp of cumin
1 tablespoon of greek yogurt

On the gas stove, chargrill the whole eggplant. Alternatively, oven roast it 20-30 minutes or so in 180C oven. Scoop the flesh up and place it into the food processor. Blitz it with the rest of the ingredients, tasting and adjusting. Serve!

Chili mince
500 grams of beef mince
1 tablespoon of garlic
olive oil
2 tsp of chill flakes
1 tablespoon of greek yogurt

Brown mince in hot pan. Add garlic and some water. Season with chill flakes and to thicken the sauce, add some yogurt. Season and taste. Serve with Baba ghanoush.