Best Baba Ganoush

Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.

Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.

Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard them. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.

On a cutting board, finely chop the eggplant flesh.

Now discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the same bowl, and dump the chopped eggplant into the bowl. Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.

Stir in the parsley, salt, and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (usually a ¼ teaspoon) and adjust with more lemon juice if necessary. OPTIONAL STEP: Add 1 tbsp of Sour Cream to have a richer and creamier texture.

Transfer the Baba Ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley smoked paprika, and pomegranate seeds on top. Serve with accompaniments of your choice. Serving suggestions: warmed or toasted pita wedges, carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, etc.