2 pounds Italian eggplants (about 2 small-to-medium eggplants)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp lemon juice, more if necessary
¼ cup tahini
⅓ cup EVOO, plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish
¾ tsp salt, to taste
¼ tsp ground cumin
Pinch of smoked paprika, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them on the prepared pan with the halved sides down.
Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender and the skin is collapsing, about 35-40 minutes. (This might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant.) Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.
Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.
Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl. Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.
Stir in the salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.
Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle smoked paprika on top.