4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed italian parsley
  • 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
  • 4 slices bacon
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Sea salt to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Poke the eggplant all over with a fork and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Bake 30 minutes, until very soft. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, then peel off skin and discard.
  4. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet until done. Cool, then crumble. Set aside. Reserve 1 – 2 TBSP bacon fat.
  5. Cut peeled eggplant into large chunks. Place in a food processor or blender.
  6. Add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt & pepper, parsley, 2 TBSP olive oil and reserved bacon fat to the food processor. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute.
  7. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. Stir in most of the bacon crumbles, reserving a few for the top.
  8. Drizzle top with olive oil, sprinkle with remaining bacon crumbles and a sprig of parsley for garnish.
  9. Serve at room temperature with cut up veggies.
  10. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container.