SKINNY DIPPING: MUTABBAL (AUBERGINE DIP)

Mutabbal, or baba ghanouj as it's more commonly (and some might say erroneously) known, is somewhat similar to the many varieties of baingan bharta, ringan nu bharthu, begun pora, etc. in India, in that they all use roasted aubergine (eggplant). But really the similarity ends there. The flavours and appearance of mutabbal couldn't be more different from any of the Indian roasted eggplant dishes which are heavily spiced, very fragrant, and anything but pale in colour.

Nevertheless, mutabbal is easy to make and delicious as part of a mezze or by itself with some fresh Arabic bread.

Mutabbal or Baba Ghanouj: Aubergine Dip

Makes: approximately 1-1/2 cups

- 1 large aubergine (eggplant)

- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish ideas: a pinch of sumac, 1 tbsp. minced parsley, or 1-2 tbsp. pomegranate arils

1. Rinse the eggplant, cut 3 slits in it, and tuck a garlic clove deep enough into each slit so it doesn't fall out during roasting.
2. Roast the eggplant in one of the following ways till it's completely charred, very soft, and shriveled (see the photo above):
1. Directly on a medium flame if you have a gas stove, turning occasionally to cook evenly.
2. On a grill.
3. In a pan in the oven at 400 F/200 C. 
3. Remove the roasted eggplant from the heat. When it is cool enough to handle, rince and cut the eggplant in half and scrape the roasted flesh and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Discard the skin and stem.
4. Put all the other ingredients (except garnishes) into the food processor and pulse a few times to get a chunky dip or more to get a smooth dip. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
5. Spread the mutabbal in serving plate, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley, pomegranate arils, or a sprinkling of sumac. Serve warm or chilled with Arabic bread.

SKINNY DIPPING: SYRIAN ZUCCHINI DIP

A perfect easy dip for late spring or summer when zucchini are abundant. It taste great warm, at room temperature or chilled. And as all good dips often do, it tastes terrific the next day after all the flavours have known each other for a bit.

Serve by itself with any good Arabic bread or as a part of a mezze with hummus, roasted red pepper and walnut dip (muhammara), feta, and olives.

Mfarakit Kusa: Syrian Zucchini Dip

Makes: approximately 1-1/2 - 2 cups

- 4 small-medium zucchini, grated or very finely diced

- 1 small (1/2 cup) yellow or white onion, diced

- 4 cloves garlic, crushed into a coarse paste

- 2 tbsp. olive oil

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1 tbsp. dried mint or dill

- 1 tbsp. minced parsley (optional)

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1-2 tbsp. olive oil, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook till translucent, about 4 - 5 minutes. 
3. Add the zucchini and stir.
4. Cook till the onions and zucchini are very soft and easily mash. Zucchini release water when cooked so cook till the water evaporates. Turn the heat to High if needed for a couple of minutes to let all water evaporate.
5. Stir in the mint / dill and lemon juice, salt to taste, and parsley, if using.
6. Put 1 cup of the dip in a shallow dish or bowl, spread with the back of a spoon into a flattish layer.
7. Serve garnished with a generous drizzle of 1 tbsp. or more olive oil.

ROASTED RADISHES

Roasting radishes brings out a mild sweetness that's quite irresistible. When radishes are in season, I like to get a mixed bunch so I can have a few different shapes and colours. Who said you can't play with your food?!

You can definitely roast a bigger batch of these and keep them for a couple of days. They're great warm from the oven but also keep well in the fridge to toss in a salad the next day or to have as a side with a meal. Or on bread with butter. Or on their own with a bit of feta and pepper on top.

Roasted Radishes

Makes: 1-2 servings

- 1 bunch (6-7) radishes
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 180 C.
2. Wash and trim the radishes.
3. Cut each radish into half. If you have some long varieties like torpedo radishes, cut them length-wise into half.
4. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Put on a baking tray or other oven-safe pan and roast for 15 - 20 minutes, or until fork-tender - 5 or so more minutes.
6. Serve as a snack, or a side, or on a salad.

SKINNY DIPPING: HUMMUS

Hummus is such a favourite of mine! I make it very often when I'm in town consistently. When I'm in town inconsistently, I get hummus nearly everyday at lunch from a Mediterranean restaurant near office. Along with hummus I also get grape leaves, baba ghanouj, olives, and salad from there, but that's another story. Suffice to say I eat mostly vegetarian and mostly Mediterranean food - and I don't get tired of it.

Hummus is: chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, salt. Drizzled with good olive oil.

Hummus is not: blended with any "flavours". No kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, spinach, artichokes, etc. Cilantro and chipotle? Yikes!

You can add whatever you want to your dip including chickpeas, and I'm sure it's delicious, but it's not hummus. It's some other dip, by any other name. I do it too, and I make up names for those dips.

Hummus: Chickpea Dip with Tahini

Makes: approximately 3-1/2 cups

- 2 cups dried garbanzos/chickpeas

- 1/3 cup tahini

- 4 cloves garlic

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2-1/2 tsp. salt

- 3-4 tbsp. olive oil, for garnish

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl. 
2. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas by 2-3 inches. They will absorb water and swell so you need abundant water for soaking.
3. Let the chickpeas soak for up to 24 hours, but at least 4 hours.
4. Drain the water and cook the chickpeas in one of the following ways:
1. Pressure cook
2. Slow-cook on low overnight - chickpeas and just enough water to cover by 1 inch
3. Boil on the stove for 1 hour or till very soft
5. Drain most of the cooking water and let the chickpeas cool till just cool enough to blend. To get a smooth hummus you want to blend the chickpeas while the skin is still soft. You can obviously make hummus with refrigerated chickpeas but it will be slightly grainy - still delicious! Or, you can warm up the chickpeas with a bit of water so everything's softened up.
6. Put the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 3/4 cup of the cooking water or fresh water into a blender.
7. Blend to get a very smooth puree.
8. Add more water in 1/4 cup increments if needed to help with blending. The hummus will get thicker as the chickpea puree absorbs some water.
9. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
10. Put 1 cup of the hummus in a shallow dish or bowl, spread with the back of a spoon into a flattish layer.
11. Garnish with a generous drizzle of 2 tbsp. olive oil and: paprika, minced parsley, or boiled chickpeas.
12. Repeat with the remaining hummus or refrigerate for 3-4 days.
13. Serve cool or chilled with any good Arabic bread.

SNACK ATTACK: CUCUMBER TOMATO SANDWICHES WITH MIMOLETTE AND PERSILLADE

Easy to make but immensely flavourful sandwiches that are easy to customize with ingredients you have at hand. Such as leftover parsley which I often use to make into a persillade - parsley pesto - a condiment that's great on sandwiches, potatoes, eggs, fish, even on crackers with a smear of goat cheese or fromage blanc.

No parsley, no problem. Use cilantro instead. Replace the serrano pepper with freshly ground black pepper. Add a couple of thin slices of onion under the tomatoes. Get creative!

As with all bread-based recipes, you can use gluten-free bread. But please don't use something weird and processed like the travesty that's vegan "cheese". If you don't want dairy, just skip the cheese and add a few thin slices of a boiled potato to add a creamy note between the persillade and vegetables.

Cucumber Tomato Sandwiches with Mimolette Cheese and Persillade
Makes: 2 sandwiches

Persillade (makes ~1/4 cup):
- 3/4 cups fresh parsley, hard stems snapped off
- 1 serrano pepper, cut into large chunks
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. lemon juice

1. Blend everything together into a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C.

Sandwiches:
- 1/4 cup persillade (recipe above)
- 4 slices bread of your choice
- 4 - 6 oz. demi-vieille mimolette cheese, thinly sliced (or any other hard cheese of choice)
- 1 tomato, thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- coarsely ground pepper, to taste

1. Spread the persillade evenly on each slice of bread. 
2. Divide cheese slices evenly for 4 slices of bread and arrange on top of the persillade on each slice of bread.
3. Place all 4 slices on a baking tray or pizza stone (no need to heat the pizza stone for this recipe) and put in the oven for 5 minutes or till the cheese is melted and starts bubbling.
4. Remove bread from the oven and arrange tomato slices on 2 of the cheesy slices.
5. Put all the bread slices back in the oven for 5 more minutes.
6. Turn the oven off and take the bread out.
7. Arrange cucumber slices on top of the tomatoes and grind pepper onto the slices with the cucumber and tomato slices.
8. With the cheese side down (facing the cucumbers), top with the other cheesy slice of bread and press firmly to make a sandwich.
9. Repeat with the remaining cucumbers and bread.
10. Cut each sandwich in half and serve. Enjoy!

CELERY LEMON TAHINI SALAD DRESSING

This is such a refreshing and light mix of flavours, and a total snap to make. I use it as a salad dressing and dip with fresh pita or pita crisps.

- 1/2 cup tahini

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 tbsp. olive oil

- 5 celery stalks

- 2 tbsp. honey

- 1 small clove garlic

- 1/2 tsp. good quality salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1 tbsp lemon zest (optional)

1. Put everything in a blender and blend on high till the dressing is smooth.
2. Adjust to taste. I sometimes add more celery to give the dressing a bit more thickness.