Baba Ghanoush Coleslaw

I've always loved hummus and baba ghanoush. The honky side of me has also craved the odd fried chicken and creamy coleslaw meal too. Here's something I tried tonight. It was the chief! Baba Ghanoush Coleslaw ala Kinger. I must say at this point that this baba ghanoush recipe is pretty approximate. I generally eyeball everything, without all the measuring. This however will give you a good base for which to tweak your own version. Enjoy.
 

Baba Ghanoush:
2 1-pound eggplants, halved lengthwise **
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, chopped ( I usually add more)
Pita bread wedges

Coleslaw:
1 large carrot, julienned
1 large cucumber, jullienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 tbsp. mayonaisse (optional)
2 tbsp. apple cider vinigar

Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. Roast until eggplant is very soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Using spoon, scoop out pulp from eggplant into strainer set over bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, allowing excess liquid to drain from eggplant. **

Transfer eggplant pulp to processor. Add 1/4 cup oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic; process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Serve with pita wedges.

Coleslaw is pretty straightforward. Julienne veggies, mix them up. Add about a tablespoon of mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is optional, but I find that it helps create that white trash tasty coleslaw of our childhood picnics at Nascar.  A dash of salt and cracked pepper is good, and so is the juice of half a lemon. Refrigerate.

When both slaw and dip are cool, serve salad with a dollop of baba ghanoush on top. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. You won't be sorry for long.

Notes: 
White cabbage can also be used, as in a traditional coleslaw-but I like this mix better. 

**Also, it should be noted that if you are using the much skinnier Asian eggplant, you do not need to cut it. Just bake it at 250 degrees Celsius until it is soft--around 10 minutes. To keep the same yield, I would use 1-2 large Asian eggplants. 


To be more efficient, prepare the slaw while the eggplant is cooking. And, unless you have a glass blender, I would allow the eggplant to cool down for a couple minutes before hucking into some plastic cheapy job.


Servings:
Makes about 1 3/4 cups of baba ghanoush
Makes a medium-sized salad bowl of veggies

Time: 
20 minutes