Easy Baba Ghaboush - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, washed and halved
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice (to taste)
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, chopped, divided
1/8 teaspoon mild paprika, for garnish

Preparation

Brush halved eggplants with oil enough to cover flesh. Place flesh-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet lined with foil and, using a fork, prick skin in few places. Transfer to a 425\u00b0F preheated oven; bake for 50 minutes or until very soft.
Remove from the heat and cool for 15-20 minutes before scooping out flesh into a colander to drain; discard skin. Stir flesh to remove any liquid. Transfer to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil; process until nicely smooth, about 3 minutes.
Cool to room temperature before adding 1 tablespoons chopped parsley; process once again for 10 seconds. Transfer dip to a serving bowl; drizzle about 1/2 tablespoons oil on top. Sprinkle with mild paprika and the remaining parsley.
PITA WEDGES: Cut pita into wedges, transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 375\u00b0F for 6-8 minutes.