Baba Ghanoush

The Joy of Cooking taught me a lot about food; I have the 1953 version. But one piece of advice The Joy of Cooking gave no longer applies--there is no need to salt eggplants (aubergines) before cooking. New varieties of eggplant are much less bitter than in our grandmothers' days.

The only reason you may want to salt eggplant is to draw out moisture, perhaps before frying, so that they absorb less oil. But to make baba ghanoush, no frying is required.

Instead you can make baba ghanoush either by roasting the eggplants in the oven or over an open flame. (Use tongs! Turn often!) Roasting is easier. So next time you have the oven on, throw in some eggplants on the side so that you can make this hearty dip. I've made it before but the version pictured above is presented today as part of our Wednesdays with Donna Hay blogging group.

While we are on the topic of eggplants, look at these beauties that I saw for sale in the shop near me recently. Did you know eggplant is actually a berry? These little egg-sized versions look a little like berries, I think.

If you want to join our Wednesdays with Donna Hay group, next week we are making cinnamon sugar-coated maple apple cakes. Visit the others in my blogging group to see if they liked the baba ghanoush recipe: Margaret from Tea and Scones, Kayte from Grandma's Kitchen Table, Gaye from Laws of the Kitchen, and Chaya from Bizzy Bakes.

I wonder if some of the cooking advice we give today might be obsolete in years to come?

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