3 medium Italian eggplants (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pita wedges, for serving

Prick the eggplants in a few places with a fork. Grill on hot oiled grill pan or outdoor grill, turning often. Or roast the eggplants on a baking sheet in a preheated 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

When eggplants are cooled, peel off the skins.
Put the eggplants in the food processor bowl.
Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, oil, salt, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
Pulse until mixture is fairly smooth. But isn’t totally pureed.
Baba Ganoush will keep for up to 5 days covered in the refrigerator.

Place baba ganoush into a serving bowl and drizzle with oil.
Serve with pita wedges

Makes 3 cups

Recipe from the cookbook, Crossroads
Permission granted by Tal Ronnen, owner of Crossroads, the restaurant that is reinventing vegan cuisine