Roasted eggplant dip with crispy pita chips

Yield: 4 servings

For Roasted eggplant dip with crispy pita chips, the dip and the chips can be made ahead of time. Place them in airtight containers, and store the dip in the refrigeratro for up to 3 day.

Ingredients:

Eggplant Dip

• 1 kilogram eggplants, I had 3
• 4 teaspoons plus 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pita Bread

• 3 pita breads, split horizontally in half
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. For the eggplant dip:
   Preheat the oven to 200°C and preheat a grill pan over high heat. Prick the eggplants all over with a fork and rub the eggplants with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Place the eggplants on the hot grill and cook for 8 minutes, or until charred all over.
2. Meanwhile, place the garlic cloves on a sheet of foil and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Fold in the edges of the foil to form a packet.
3. Place the grilled eggplants and the pouch of garlic on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is tender and golden, and the eggplants are very tender. Remove the eggplants and garlic from the oven, and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.
4. Remove and discard the skin from the eggplants and garlic. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the eggplant pulp and garlic to form a coarse puree, and place in a large bowl. Stir in the tahini, parsley, lemon juice, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. For the pita chips:
   Cut each pita half into wedges and arrange the wedges evenly over 2 large baking trays.Brush the pita wedges with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the parsley and with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the pita wedges are crisp and golden. Let the chips cool, and serve with the eggplant dip.

total time: 2 h
preparation time: 40 minutes
cooking/baking time: 1 h 5 minutes