Next Up: Calzone

Baba Ghanoush – The Day After Dip

No matter what you’re grilling this summer, chances are good you’re going to have more hot coals than food to cook on it, which makes baba ghanoush the perfect post-barbecue recipe. Instead of those glowing embers going gently into the sweet night, why not grill up some eggplant, and make one of the world’s best vegetable dips?

You can cook the eggplant any way you want, but charcoal is my favorite. Next best would be cooked over a gas burner, but that can really mess up your stove, so I guess the real next best is baked at 400 F. until they collapse, and get very soft.

As you can see in the clip, this is not a very complicated recipe. As long as this is seasoned thoughtfully, you should be enjoying a wonderfully savory, yet refreshing dip. Just be sure to pay attention to the salt. Eggplant, like almost every vegetable, needs a good amount of salt to bring out the flavor.

The difference between a terrible dip, and a stellar spread can be as little as a half teaspoon of salt. Wait for the mixture to cool completely in the fridge, taste it ice-cold, and adjust with more salt, as needed. Same goes for the lemon, cayenne, and the tahini.

If you grill these after a cookout, but have had too much fun, and don’t feel like doing any more work, you can peel them the next day, and this will work out the same. I hope you give this delicious baba ghanoush a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 cups Baba Ghanoush:

3 or 4 large Italian eggplant

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

juice from 1 or 2 lemons, or to taste

3 tbsp tahini, or to taste

pinch of cayenne

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

1 minced fresh mint leaf, optional

2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

pita chips and vegetables for dipping

Have a Great Fourth of July Weekend!

We’re going to take a couple days off for the holiday, but wanted to wish you a very safe, and festive 4th of July! 

Fabulous summer cookouts are just one of the many things that makes America great, and I hope you’re involved one of those tomorrow; preferably serving something you saw on Food Wishes (like the no-baked cheesecake flag cake pictured here). Enjoy the food, the fireworks, and possibly the adult beverages, and we’ll be back next week with brand-new videos, as usual. Stay tuned! 

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4th of July Special: Red, White & Blueberry Grilled Chicken!

These colors don’t run, but they do stain, so I recommend eating this delicious, red, white and blueberry chicken outdoors, preferably at some type of 4th of July barbecue. While the Independence Day wordplay was very much intentional, this grilled chicken is no gimmick.

Smoky, spicy meats have been paired with sweet-and-sour, fruit-based sauces since we’ve had cooks, so that this combo works beautifully is no big surprise. And yes, other juicy fruit like peaches, or other berries will work nicely.

Like I said in the video, I made my spice rub extra hot, so I could really take advantage of the cooling effects of the sweetness in the sauce. Sweet cancels out heat on your palette, so you can kind of push things a bit if you want. The measurements below are what I used, but you should, and must adjust. 

As far as chicken doneness goes, I recommend checking with a thermometer. If you cook a lot of chicken, it’s fairly easy to tell by feel, but why take a chance? I usually go to 150 F, which left to rest for a minute, should be safe, and very juicy. So, if you’re looking for a very tasty, slightly unusual, appropriately named chicken recipe, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground dry chipotle

1/2 tsp cayenne
2 cloves minced garlic

For the blueberry gastrique:

2 cups blueberries

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

*splash of water as needed to adjust thickness (after the blueberries start cooking)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*If you make the sauce ahead, your sauce will thicken, and you will probably need to thin it out with some water. When tasting for seasoning, remember this is going to go on highly seasoned meat.