Eggplant pâté is a “tropical” version of “Baba Ganoush”, a traditional Arab dish, introduced in Brazil in the late 19th century. “Baba Ganoush” is a side dish for meat, for quibe and for tabule, and can be served as an appetizer, usually accompanied by “hummus” (chickpea paste), “labneh” (strained yoghurt) and Arab bread.
I present to you both my mum’s pâté recipe and “Baba Ganoush” recipe. Eggplant pâté is an appetizer recipe and can be served with all types of bread. You can use the same method to make both recipes.
Ingredients
Eggplant Pâté:
• 2 eggplants, approximately 750 g
• 50 ml olive oil, approximately
• 1 garlic clove
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of oregano
• 6-7 drops lime juice
“Baba Ganoush”:
• 2 eggplants
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons “tahini” (sesame seed paste)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• a pinch of salt
• Syrian-pepper or ground pepper
• ½ lime juice
Preparation method
- Place the peeled garlic clove in the olive oil to make garlic-flavoured oil.
- Prick the eggplants with a fork or a toothpick in several places. Place them in an ovenware dish and bake in a moderate oven until tender. The cooking time depends on the size and on the quality of the eggplants.
- Allow to cool and cut eggplants in half lengthwise. With a spoon remove the pulp and transfer it into a bowl.
- Remove garlic clove from oil.
- Combine all ingredients into the bowl, then blend them together using a hand blender. Taste and season if necessary. The traditional way to make this recipe: mash the pulp with a fork, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Notes: if I don’t have enough time to bake the eggplant you can peel and cut them into small pieces, put them in a pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and a small sprinkling of water, cover with a lid and cook on low heat.
Posted on: 11 November 2014
Sou arquiteto, nascida no Brasil e meu pai é italiano.