Putejalah

his recipe is a heavily bastardized version of something originally from Israel, from my Director of Systems. I mean that I bastardized it, not him. He'll kill me when he sees what I did to his precious family staple. It's an eggplant dip, sort of like Baba Ghanoush, but it's not based around cumin or tahini. Because the eggplant is roasted to the point of almost being burnt, it has a smokey taste and aroma. I like it a a cracker dip or a pita spread, and I also use it as a topping for other roasted veggies, like squash.

Here's the list of ingredients:

• One whole big eggplant, cut in half, and pierced with a fork a couple of times
• A few tablespoons of olive oil
• Juice from a half of a lemon
• A few tablespoons of vinegar
• An onion, chopped
• 4 or 5 (or more) cloves of garlic. I liked roasted garlic, but regular tastes great too.
• salt and pepper, to taste

Roast the eggplant. Either on a grill, or in an oven, to the point where it really does start to look and/or smell burnt. That's flavour!

Scoop out the pulpy part of the eggplant, including the charred surface, but not the eggplant skin. It's a bit bitter for the dip (although I like it anyway, on its own). Throw it into your food processor, and add your chopped onions, garlic, and your oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Be careful not to get any lemon pips in the mixture. They are bastards to fish out with oily fingers. Add your salt and pepper.

Blitz it until it's pureed. If it's too thick, add a bit more liquid. If it's too runny, well.... maybe add more eggplant, if you have any left, or some more garlic or something.

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