You know how gardeners joke about stuffing bumper crops of zucchini in mailboxes or sneaking them onto neighbors’ porches? That’s my eggplant crop this year. Last year’s plants struggled, so we not only improved their soil and care but also planted more starts for good measure. The plants have responded, pumping out multiple full-size eggplant every few days.

My favorite eggplant dish is a smoky Middle Eastern dip called baba ghanoush, so I’ve been making a lot of it this summer. When I first started preparing it at home, I tried numerous techniques to give the eggplant the perfect smokiness. Roasting or broiling were tasty, but the best flavor came from grilling over charcoal the long, thin halves of Japanese eggplant or the round, thick slices of oval Italian ones. Once the eggplant are grilled and peeled, the dip takes about 2 minutes to make, as I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.
Learn to make Grilled Eggplant Baba Ghanoush