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Wellspent Market founder Jim Dixon has been writing about food and restaurants for Willamette Week for a long time. He wants our readers to eat well, and he shows them how with the recipes he creates just for us by using simple cooking techniques and easy-to-find ingredients.
I’m not the first cook to make baba ghanouj with zucchini instead of eggplant, something I discovered after eating some of the eggplant and tahini dip and thinking, “What if I used zucchini…?” A few keystrokes and Google tells me that many, many others have had the same thought. But at least I’m on the right track.
For the best char, light a fire. But it’s easier and almost as effective to use the direct radiant heat of your oven’s broiler to get that elusive state between caramelized and carbonized. When the temperature gets past about 350°F, the natural sugars, proteins, and amino acids in food start to change into compounds with smoky, roasted, and slightly bitter flavors. The only trick is paying attention so tasty char doesn’t become nasty charcoal.
Another benefit: The high heat also drives off much of the water that constitutes most of any vegetable. Drying them out concentrates flavor and improves texture.
You could toss these same ingredients into a food processor if you want something more like the diplike consistency of traditional baba ghanouj. But sometimes I want a coarser, hand-chopped texture, and it still works for dipping.
Charred Zucchini With Tahini
3-4 average-sized zucchini*
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tahini
1-3 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
*I like to use zucchini that aren’t much more than an inch and a half thick, and the ridged, speckled romesco varieties are even better.
Split the zucchini lengthwise and arrange on a sheet pan (use parchment paper if you like easy cleanup). Broil them until they turn dark brown, then remove and let cool. Slice the zucchini into small, roughly ¼-inch pieces.
Mix the tahini with the cold water a tablespoon at a time, stirring well until it thins and becomes more pourable.
Add the thinned tahini to the chopped zucchini along with the garlic, tahini, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and cumin. I think this is best at room temperature.
