One of the things I miss most about living in London is all the different food and cuisines that are readily available all around you! My favourite by far was all the middle eastern goodness like falafel, hummus, fatoush, the list goes on and on. And high up on that list is definitely baba ganoush. Baba ganoush is a healthy, creamy, garlicky dip made primarily of roasted aubergines (or eggplants depending on where in the world you are :) ). You can whisk this up in no time and keep it in a closed container in the fridge for about a week.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat your oven to 225°C.

Cut your aubergines in half lengthwise and score them in a crisscross pattern. Brush the scored side with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top. Place them on a lined baking tray with the cut side facing down. Bake in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes. The inside of your aubergines should be really soft and the cut sides should have browned a bit.

Leave the aubergines to cool before scraping out the "flesh", then add it into a sieve to get rid of any excess water. In a big bowl add the drained aubergines as well as the finely minced garlic (you can also use a garlic press but mine hates me so I avoid it.. :) ). Mix together with the lemon juice, tahini, salt and cumin and blend it roughly. Add to your serving bowl before sprinkling with chopped parsley as well as some smoked paprika powder and a drizzle of olive oil. And there you go! Your baba ganoush is ready to be devoured!

I'm currently obsessed with these little Vinschgauer beads - they're basically little rye and wheat sourdough flatbreads and I loooove them. So I enjoy dipping these, but baba ganoush is also delicious with veggies, falafels, pita bread or even (vegan) meats at a barbeque (I really keep going on about barbeques don't I? Oh well, it's summer so everything has to be bbq appropriate :) ). 

Making this ALMOST makes me feel like I'm back at my favourite Lebanese restaurant Meza in Tooting Bec who you should definitely check out if you're in the area! I urge you to give this recipe a go, you'll thank me later :) If you recreate this, let me know in the comments below and tag me in your pictures :)