WildChild

There is an adorable bakery and cafe in Kingston, ON called Pan Chancho that makes the most tasty and satisfying food. They are consistent, and i have never been disappointed. Only problem is, it is so expensive! Way too expensive for a student. 

Pan Chancho creates a plethora of addictive baked goods, breads, sandwiches and sweet treats. They also have 2 new soups daily, and a whole counter full of freshly made salads and spreads. Their Baba Ganoush is one of them, and it is unlike any spread or dip i’ve ever indulged in.
Today i was able to buy a tiny container, not even large enough to be considered a portion, for $5.00. It was absolutely fantastic, as expected, but it just wasn’t enough. I’m not being greedy i swear, its like $3.00 a gram,or something. So, as i was licking the container clean & craving another bite, i decided i would make my own Baba Ganoush, Pan Chancho style!

What makes this spread so unique is that it is chunky, without the fat. It mixes in additional fresh ingredients ensuring that each bite is filled with an appropriate amount of crunch. mmm
SO, i searched pinterest (of course) for recipes, and then revamped it according to my taste buds memory of my scarce lunchtime meal.

Ingredients:
1 Eggplant

1.5 tbsp Tahini

½ green pepper

½ small red onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, diced

cilantro, chopped

1 – 2 tomatoes diced, drained

¼ cup of lemon juice

pinch of cumin

salt and pepper

sesame oil

olive oil

(This is a pic i found online, disregard the red pepper, yellow pepper and cheese… please)

** The most important part of making baba ganoush is to develop that distinguished smokey flavour. If you’re a student like me, you wont have a fancy new gas stove to do this. I have the solution.

1. Set oven to Broil. Cut the Eggplant in half length wish and cover with olive oil + sesame oil, salt and pepper. Place them on a pan flesh side down and put into oven. Depending on your oven, the skin will char/ blacked in about 10- 15 minutes.

2. Lower the oven to 400 degrees F and cook until very soft and fleshy.

3. Drain the eggplant for about 20 minutes while it cools. Tear off the flesh that is most black, you do not need to get it all.

4. Place the eggplant in a blender and mix to separate it. (You can mash it up, or even puree it, whatever you prefer!)

5. Mix in the tahini, diced green peppers, diced tomatoes, diced onion and diced garlic.

6. Mix in your seasonings (cumin, salt, pepper) and lemon juice, and top with cilantro.

7. Keep adjusting the seasonigs and lemon juice to your taste, there really is no right amount, its all up to you!

8. You can add in black olives, or chili powder/ chilli flakes if you like it spicy

My final product:

I eat this with a spoon, and it barely cost me anything.

ENJOY!
xx