Baba Gannouj.... what the hell is that?

It seems not everyone knows what it is which is a shame and yesterday I decided instead of buying it I'd try to whip some up myself. I was surprised how easy it was!
It's a semi creamy mix of cooked eggplant, lemon juice and tahini that you can use as a dip or a spread. There are variations but I made mine with onions and garlic for extra flavour.

This isn't the best picture, I got lazy with presentation but this is what it looks like:

Baba Gannouj

2 medium eggplants, about 1-1/4 pounds each

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbs. olive oil

60 gr. tahini* paste

60 gr. lemon juice

1/4 cup of lightly chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. or more salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

smoked or plain paprika

Preheat oven to 400f. Bake the 2 eggplants directly on the oven rack (place a foil lined cookie sheet to catch drippings on the rack below) for about 1 hour turning every 20 minutes.

Let cool for about 20 minutes and cut lengthwise and scoop out as many seeds as possible. Scoop out remaining flesh leaving out the skin. Place in a sieve and let drain for about 10-15 minutes.

Cook the onion in 1 tbs. of the olive oil on low heat, let them caramelize and during the last 2 minutes add the garlic.

Add the eggplant, onion, garlic, 1 tbs. olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, parsley, salt and pepper to a food processor and process until almost smooth. It's ok to leave it a bit lumpy.

Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with the remaining tbs. olive oil. Or put it in an airtight container... YUM!

*You can get Tahini at the health food store, it's made with sesame seeds and pours like liquidy peanut butter.