Baba Ganoush Pita Platter: Tomatoes + Cucumber + Olives + Chicken Thighs

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.

Place the chicken thighs on a lined baking sheet. If any pieces are much larger than the rest, you can cut those in half. You could also decide to cut them all in half or thirds to make finer strips - the final shape is really up to you but do look for consistency.

Toss chicken with a drizzle of olive oil, the zest from ½ of the lemon, 1 Tablespoon dried oregano, 1 Tablespoon garlic powder, and all but ¼ teaspoon of the ground cumin. Reserve about ½ of the total salt for the baba ganoush and sprinkle the rest on the chicken. Toss to combine and run in the spices.

Spread the chicken out in an even layer and place it in the oven. Roast for about 18 - 22 minutes or until chicken pieces are all cooked through and golden brown on top. Halfway through this time, slide the pan out and flip the pieces over.

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

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

Wash the tomatoes. Pluck some of the green tops off, but consider leaving a few on if you want a fancy “farm to table restaurant” presentation.

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.

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 rest of 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.

When the chicken is done, add it to the platter! Pour any juices from cooking over top.

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