Baba ghanoush

Materials
Cutting Board
Vegetable Knife
Garlic press
Baking pans
Colander/strainer
2 Kitchen towels
Parchment paper
Food processor or blender

Ingredients
1 medium-large eggplant (or 2 small eggplants)
1/2 a lemon (juice from)
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)
2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 Tablespoons tahini*
Sea salt
Parsley (to garnish)

*you can either buy tahini or make it yourself (see below for how to make it from scratch)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 small or 1 large pan with parchment paper. You can omit parchment paper if you want, but you may want to oil the pan to prevent the eggplant from sticking. Note: Parchment paper may burn at higher temperatures (>400 degrees) and should not be used if broiling the eggplant or other food. Wash and slice eggplant into smaller pieces. Place sliced eggplant in a colander and sprinkle sea salt over them. Wash the salted, sliced eggplant in the colander with cold water. Transfer the eggplant to a towel and pat dry with another towel. Place eggplant on baking pan(s) and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over them. Bake on 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes, flipping them over once in the middle. Remove eggplant from the oven. Stack cooked slices on top of each other and wrap them up with parchment paper to allow them to sweat for 3-5 minutes. You may want to put a rubber band around the parchment paper to hold it together. Remove parchment paper covering the eggplant and discard it. Peel the skin off each eggplant slice as best you can. Transfer eggplant to food processor or blender and add lemon juice, minced garlic, tahini, and a dash of sea salt. Blend on a low variable setting like 1 (if using Vitamix) or pulse (if using a food processor) until desired dip-like consistency is achieved. Transfer to a bowl. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy with pita chips, pita bread, or vegetables. Store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

How to make tahini:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread 1 cup of sesame seeds over the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top on the sesame seeds. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning them over in the middle if desired. Remove from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Transfer the sesame seeds to a food processor and blend until creamy. Add more olive oil if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.