A few simple tricks make this the richest, smokiest, creamiest baba ganoush in town.
Charring the eggplant over high heat infuses the baba ganoush with plenty of smokiness.
A salad spinner is the quickest and easiest way to remove moisture from the cooked eggplant flesh, concentrating its flavor.
Emulsifying the eggplant, tahini, and olive oil by hand, instead of using a food processor, produces a chunkier dip with pleasant textural contrast.
The first time I had a taste of truly excellent excellent baba ganoush—the Middle Eastern dip of roasted eggplant mixed with olive oil, sesame tahini, garlic, and lemon juice—it was made by a good friend of mine, an Israeli line cook who’d take time out of her afternoon to hover over the eggplants as they slowly charred over the open flames of the kitchen’s burners. She’d wait until they were meltingly tender before recruiting me to carefully peel them, and then she’d mix them up with lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and olive oil.
