Sweet and Fiery Baba Ghanoush with Harissa

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There is no foodstuff I crave more than this sweet and spicy baba ghanoush. A great summer appetizer for deck dining and al fresco parties!This is a recreation of one of my favorite dishes at any restaurant EVER, from Eatery A here in Des Moines. There’s nothing better than having the original to sample when you’re trying to imitate a dish, and that’s exactly what I did here. I did side-by-side taste tests until I was fully satisfied with the result. And now, I present to you…the best-ever Sweet and Spicy Baba Ghanoush with Harissa!

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dip made from the flesh of eggplants that have been broiled over an open flame until the skin is blistery and charred, then mashed into with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and various spices and seasonings (like pomegranate molasses and cumin). It can be used as a condiment or served as a dip with pita. This version is, sadly, not cooked over an open flame but under the broiler instead. This achieves a similar result, albeit without the smoky flavor from the coals. The restaurant that inspired this recipe adds sautéed onions, roasted red peppers, and fiery harissa, the ubiquitous North African/Tunisian spicy pepper paste. You can make it homemade or use a store-bought variety, like Mina (also comes in mild and hot so you can customize to your taste!). A cooling drizzle of lemony tahini and yogurt is the perfect counter to the heat.I love to serve this with man’oushe, a puffy, golden flatbread (is it still flatbread if it uses yeast?) seasoned with copious amounts of olive oil and za’atar. Eatery A serves their version with a flatter flatbread—still haven’t figured out what it is exactly, so flatter flatbread it is! Someday, I’ll be that person who goes to a restaurant and actually asks the chef for the recipe.