Cilantro Ghannouj with Chickpeas

Cilantro was out of stock when I wanted it for three recipes, so by the time I found some there were only two recipes left for it.  I tried another hack of putting the bunch in a glass of water to prolong its life, but even that only gave it about five extra days.  So I decided to fancy up some baba ghannouj with cilantro and a chickpea garnish.

This turned out to be a do-ahead type recipe.  I baked the eggplant and cooked up the chickpeas the day before.  That actually helped because the eggplant was cooled when I put it in the food processor.  It gave me a more accurate finished texture.

The rest of the cilantro was preserved as mixed herb pesto, along with my parsley that is trying to bolt and some basil.  I got on a big preserving trend and roasted up my home-grown pumpkin to freeze, some cinnamon pepitas from its seeds, and a batch of granola.  Which has nothing to do with this dip, but it all happened on the same day.

1 large eggplant
1/2 bunch cilantro, large stems removed
1/4 C tahini paste
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cloves garlic
1 Tb lemon juice
2 Tb olive oil, or to taste
1 C cooked chickpeas

1.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Wash eggplant and prick in several places with a knife to prevent explosions.  Place in a roasting pan and bake until mushy inside, about one hour.  Allow to cool until you can handle it, then scrape out the insides.

2.  Place eggplant guts, cilantro, tahini, salt, garlic, and lemon juice in bowl of food processor.  Pulse at first, then run into dip consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Drizzle in olive oil if it needs a little body.

3.  Transfer dip to a serving bowl.  Stir in half of the chickpeas.  Garnish the top with the rest.  Chill until ready to serve.

Difficulty rating  π