Eggplant Faux-Baba

I love eggplant. If you don't, this post is not for you. If you think there is an inkling that you might, one day, embrace the violet orb, feel free to keep reading.

One of the many things I appreciate about Civic Center Farmer's Market is the abundance of Japanese eggplants. It is hard to find shiny, healthy Japanese eggplants if your community doesn't have the demand. Lucky for me, I live spitting distance from one of the most central, cheapest markets with the largest pan-Asian clientele. I was always skeptical about why Japanese eggplant was so much better -- is it just fetishized like Japanese animation? -- but after cooking with it for a while, realized how much softer, creamier, sweeter and generally more friendly to the cook it is (like anime, but not).

The following recipe emerged because I love baba ghanoush but hate paying for it. And, it tends to be loaded with bitter tahini and taste more like smlooch than like eggplant. It also emerged because a friend who hates eggplant came over when the only thing I happened to have in the fridge was eggplant and we were starving. Enter the ultimate challenge.

The recipe is more of a ratio because you can make as much or as little as you have on hand.

1 or more Japanese eggplants (if you have regular eggplant, use 1 for every 2 Japa's, unless your Japa's are Americanized and huge)
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled, for each eggplant
a sprinkling of red pepper flakes
a minimal sprinkling of cinnamon - like a pinch
some olive oil
some salt
1-2 Tablespoons tahini (stir it first, please)

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the eggplant into chunks about 1 in. square. Put them in a roasting pan and add the garlic cloves (whole), the red pepper flakes and the cinnamon. Drizzle the whole thing with some oil, maybe 1 Tablespoon. Japanese eggplant soaks up less oil than regular eggplant so you need less. Sprinkle with some salt, toss again, and roast for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to be sure the eggplant doesn't stick to the pan. The eggplant is done when it is soft all the way through, melts in your mouth when tasting (blow on it first!) and when the garlic is soft.

Put everything into a bowl and smoosh until you can't smoosh no more. Add the tahini and magically everything will transform into a creamy faux-baba. Stir a bit more, add seasoning if necessary, and indulge.