20-Minute Hummus & Baba Ganoush // Making a Mezze!
Snack boards are like ... my thing. Making a tray of bite-sized, flavor-filled happiness is my true calling in life and I plan to never ever stop doing it. Usually when I'm expecting company or just need to eat my feelings, I'll construct a charcuterie or cheese board with a ton of different jams and spreads and shit, but lately I've been delving into the world of mezze, which is basically a Middle Eastern appetizer platter. The tasty little friends you can expect to find on a mezze are hummus, baba ganoush, dolma, tabouleh, feta, olives, pickled peppers, and often kibbeh and some yogurty things.
For this spread I made my own baba ganoush and hummus (recipe below), but sourced the rest of it pre-made from Whole Foods, though you can probably get most of it at a Middle Eastern shop or international market. Oh! And those flowers on the hummus are totally edible! And they don't taste like broccoli! One time I used edible flowers on a cake and they tasted like broccoli, which was sad. These don't though! They taste like, eh, nothing at all, which is actually kind of a good thing cause you get the fun of people being like "ermagerd these are flowers ermagerd I'm eating them!" without people being like, "ermargerd these flowers taste like broccoli, I literally hate you for letting me eat this." Anyhow, check out the recipe for the baba ganoush and hummus below, along with some tips for setting up yer own mezze platter!
20-Minute Hummus & Baba Ganoush
serves 4 - 6, each
*If you actually only have twenty minutes to make both of these, start with the baba ganoush. While the eggplant is roasting for the baba, make the hummus. By the time the hummus is done, the eggplant will be ready and you can finish the baba ganoush! My oven heats up super fast, but if yours does not, keep in mind you may need to account for a little extra time for preheating the oven.
Baba Ganoush
- 1 large eggplant (about 10")
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + extra for roasting the eggplant
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 8 spears and place them about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes, until slightly charred and tender. Remove from the oven and toss into a food processor or blender with the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh mint.
Hummus
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained of liquid
- 1 cup tehini
- 2/3 cup lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 - 6 cloves of garlic (to taste)
- 2 teaspoon salt (you may need to add more, up to you!)
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. If it's too thick, add a little olive oil, a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of paprika, and pita or raw veggies for dipping.
Other Mezze Goodies (You can find most of these at Whole Foods or a specialty store)
