Gobba Ghanouj

Categories: Middle, Eastern
Yield: 6 Servings

1 lg Eggplant
1 lg Tomato; minced
2 Stalks celery; minced
1 lg Yellow onion; minced
3 Green onions and tops;
-minced
1 Green bell pepper; seeded
-and minced
1 Red bell pepper; seeded and
-minced -or-
3 sm Fresh hot chilies; seeded
-and minced
8 Cloves garlic; minced
1/4 c Minced fresh parsley
1/3 c Fresh lemon juice
1/2 tb Sugar; optional
1/2 ts Coarsely ground black pepper
2/3 c Olive oil
Salt; sugar, an cayenne, to
-taste

Using a barbecue fork, hold the eggplant over hot coals or a gas flame and
turn slowly until the skin is blistered and singed in places. With a cloth,
rub off what is loose. This will leave just a bit of the burned skin, which
is necessary for the unique flavor of this dish. Now put the eggplant into
the oven and bake at 350 degrees until it is soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove
it from the oven and cool until it can be handled. Remove the stem and,
with your hands, thoroughly mush the flesh up in a bowl. Continue kneading
with your hand until all the lumps are gone and what skin remains is broken
up. If any large chunks of skin will not incorporate, remove them. Add all
of the remaining ingredients except the oil, salt, sugar, and extra
cayenne. Mix thoroughly. Begin drizzling the oil into the bowl gradually,
and with your hand mix and knead until all of the oil has been completely
incorporated. It will react rather like mayonnaise; the gradual adding and
kneading of the oil into! ! ! the other ingredients will make a homogeneous
substance that is not oily at all. Now add the salt, additional sugar if
needed, and extra cayenne if you want it hotter. You may, of course, leave
the sugar out altogether if you wish. Traditionally, it is almost sweet and
sour in addition to the hot. Make it as mild or mighty as you wish by the
addition of the extra cayenne.

Serving Ideas : Serve chilled.

NOTES : In the Middle East this is served with leaves of romaine lettuce
for scooping; however I often serve it with traditional chips, tortilla
chips, raw vegetables, or French bread, as well as leaves of crisp romaine.
Yield: 3 cups.

Recipe by: Cole Publishing Group Recipe Collection

Posted to recipelu-digest by Karen Sonnessa on
Feb 3, 1998

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