Roasted Baba Ganoush

It's leaf-raking season around here. I mean, it has been for a while. As annoying as that task is, it's kind of awesome to come back inside, cheeks pink from the cold, and reward myself with a delicious snack. If the snack requires firing up an oven to warm up a chilly house, then thats even better.

So, what better snack than chips and something to dip them in? But let's skip the cliche stuff and go for something a little different. How about some baba ganoush? Usually, I cook it in a pan on the stove but this time around, I opted for something a little different. I decided to roast the vegetables and then five them a rough chop and a quick stir and tada! Perfect for topping pita chips.

Ingredients:
3 baby eggplants
3 tomatoes
½ sweet onion
4 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
+ pita

Grab a sheet pan and chuck on all of the vegetables. I just left the skins on the garlic cloves because why not?

Drizzle everything with olive oil and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Roast the vegetables in a low-heat setting in the broiler until the skins start to char. Give them a flip every so often so they don't burn up completely. They should take 20 to 25 minutes to cook through.

Place all of the vegetables into a big bowl and cover with some cling film. Leave to steam in their own heat for 10 minutes.

Once the vegetables have cooled enough to handle, peel the skins off of the tomatoes and eggplant. Give all of the vegetables a rough chop and attack them with a masher.

And if you're so inclined, you can heat up the baba ganoush in a pan to get it nice and hot again.

All that's left to do at this point is to serve it up with some delicious pita chips. The baba ganoush is smoky and sweet and delicious and the longer it sits, the more the flavors will develop, and the better it will get. I know eggplant is not everyone's cup of tea, but even if you aren't an eggplant fan, you might like this one. It's like a charred, sexy, Mediterranean salsa.

Yes, baba ganoush is a delicious snack, but it's also a great side dish accompaniment to some lamb chops.

I drizzled these cuties with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Then, they got slapped onto a screaming hot grill pan.

The final touch? I drizzled the chops with some balsamic syrup (balsamic vinegar and sugar, boiled and reduced until thick and sticky).

The chops and baba ganoush were served up with buttery wild rice and some roasted broccoli.

So, what do you say? Chips and dip, anyone?

Here's the recipe page: