baba ganoush, Israeli Salad, hummus, pita bread and a lemon slice

baba ganoush

1 large eggplant (1 1/4 pounds)

4 level tablespoons tahini

1/2 teaspoon garlic, peeled and crushed with salt

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish: mix 3 parts sweet Hungarian paprika and 1 part ground hot red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Diced ripe tomatoes

Pierce the eggplant in several places with a toothpick. If you are cooking indoors, wrap the whole eggplant in aluminum foil and set it over a gas grill to cook on all sides until it collapses and begins to release a great deal of steam. If you are cooking over coals, grill the eggplant until blackened, collapsed, and cooked through. Dump the eggplant into a basin of cold water; peel while still hot and allow to drain in a colander until cool. Squeeze pulp to remove any bitter juices. Mash the eggplant to a puree. In a food processor, mix the tahini with the garlic and lemon juice until the mixture contracts. Thin with the water. With the machine running, add the eggplant and the salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread out in a shallow dish and garnish with pepper, parsley, and tomatoes.

Israeli Salad

• 3 cucumbers
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 green or red pepper(we didn't use peppers becasue my stomach gets angry)
  
• 3 green onions
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt

1. Chop the vegetables in small pieces. The secret to a really good Israeli salad is finely chopped vegetables.
2. Immediately before serving, season lightly with olive oil, lemon juice, salt

Hummus

• 4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
• 2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.

Spoon into serving dish

Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.

Makes about 3 cups.