Ember Baked Aubergine Baba Ganoush

Method

1. Wait for glowing coals

   The fire should have burnt down to an even glow. Flames will coat the skin in soot without cooking the inside, and since you are about to handle the flesh directly, clean smoke matters.

2. Straight onto the embers

   Lay the aubergines directly on the coals. Pierce each one once with a knife first so steam can escape, otherwise they can burst.

3. Turn until totally collapsed

   20 to 25 minutes, turning every five. The skin should be uniformly black and split, and the whole aubergine should sag and feel completely empty of structure when you lift it. Internal temperature around 95°C (205°F). Undercooked aubergine tastes bitter and spongy, so err long.

4. Drain, and drain properly

   Split them open and scoop the flesh into a sieve set over a bowl. Leave it 20 minutes. Aubergine is mostly water, and skipping this gives you a watery grey dip instead of a thick one. Discard the liquid.

5. Mash, never blend

   Chop and mash the drained flesh with a fork or a knife, keeping real texture. A blender turns it into a smooth pale emulsion and destroys both the texture and the colour. Stir in the tahini, lemon, garlic and plenty of salt.

6. Finish generously

   Spread it in a shallow bowl, make a well, and pour in good olive oil. Pomegranate, parsley and sumac on top. Serve warm or at room temperature with flatbread.

Notes worth knowing

• Larger aubergines have more flesh relative to skin and are easier to handle here. Small thin ones dry out.
• A few specks of black skin in the mix add to it. Picking out every last one is wasted effort.
• Make this at the end of a cook while the fire dies down. It costs you nothing but the aubergines.

Common questions

Can I make baba ganoush without a charcoal fire?

You can roast the aubergines in an oven or over a gas burner, but the result is a different dish. The defining flavour is smoke absorbed by the flesh, and only live fire produces it properly.

Why is my baba ganoush bitter?

Almost always undercooked aubergine. It needs to collapse completely, not merely soften. The other cause is unpeeled burnt skin blended in rather than a few flecks stirred through.