Charred Eggplant Baba Ganoush

From the garden

• 3 medium eggplants, left whole, pricked a few times · about 3 lb
• 2 cloves garlic, grated to a paste
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

From the pantry

• ⅓ cup tahini, stirred smooth in the jar
• 1 lemon · juice only, plus more to taste
• 3 tbsp olive oil · some goes on top at the end
• ½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Char the eggplants whole, straight on a gas burner, over a hot grill, or under a broiler turned as high as it goes. Turn them every few minutes for 20–30 minutes, until the skins are blistered black all over and each one has slumped and collapsed on itself.
2. Move them to a colander set over a bowl and leave them 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Split each one open, scrape the flesh off the skin, and let it drain. Draining is what separates baba ganoush from watery eggplant mush.
3. Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and a good pinch of salt in a serving bowl. The mixture will seize and pale before it loosens into a smooth cream; add a spoonful of cold water if it stays stiff.
4. Chop the drained flesh roughly with a knife, or mash it with a fork, and fold it into the tahini. Keep the texture ragged, since a food processor turns the whole thing into a pale, bland paste.
5. Taste and correct with salt, black pepper, more lemon, and the cumin if using. Spread it in a shallow bowl, pool the remaining olive oil over the top, scatter the parsley, and serve at room temperature beside grilled lamb, chicken, or flatbread.