Baba Ganoush Pita Platter: Tomatoes + Cucumber + Olives

Cut the eggplant in ½. Place the halves face down on a lined baking sheet and into the oven. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the halves are very soft and falling in on themselves.

Add the cloves of garlic next to the eggplant halves after they have been cooking for 15 minutes. You will roast the garlic for about 10 minutes to caramelize and soften.

Trim the green beans. Since you have the oven on, you can keep it easy and roast them for about 5 - 6 minutes tossed with a pinch of salt and light drizzle of olive oil.

But, we love the taste of a freshly steamed green bean in the dip. For that, trim ends and place them in a steamer basket over water. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, and steam for about 5 minutes. Run under cold water as soon as they're done, and pop them in the fridge to cool.

Slice the cucumber into long sticks and arrange on the platter.

Trim the radish tops off (reserve them for a salad this week!). Wash radishes and cut them in ½.

Wash the tomatoes.

Trim the end of the lettuce and cut it into wedges. If you have a larger head of romaine, you can chop the leaves instead. Wash and dry it well before plating.

If using soft pita pockets, cut them into 6 - 8 wedges. Plate the pita wedges or a pile of pita chips.

Add the green beans to the platter. Add olives to the platter.

When the eggplant is done, remove from the oven. Set out a large bowl and hold each half over it while scooping the soft flesh out into the bowl. A big spoon works well for this. It should be very soft and fall out easily.

Smash the roasted garlic cloves with the side of your knife to make a paste. Add it to the eggplant.

Add the lemon zest and the juice. Add a ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin.

Use a whisk to incorporate the 3 Tablespoons of tahini. Then stream in up to ½ cup of olive oil and whisk vigorously to emulsify the mixture and whip up and smooth out the eggplant. The texture is supposed to be chunky but velvety.

*You could put this all in the food processor or blender but take care to not over process it or it will become gummy.

Spoon the dip into a little bowl, make a swirl with the back of your spoon and drizzle some quality olive oil over. Garnish with sesame seeds.

That’s it! We love this summer, family style meal on one big plate for all to graze and share.