I was watching Rachel Ray (a cooking variety and lifestyle TV show). I heard her saying that a  favorite restaurant in Philadelphia for her was Zahav ( a multi award wining restaurant with a multi award wining James Beard wining Chef who is also the 2017 James Beard outstanding chef). Rachel Ray also named a list of about a half dozen celebrity Chefs including Amanda Freitag stating that Zahav was also their favorite restaurant in Philadelphia. WOW that really spoke to me because I happened to have dined at Zahav and also had the most amazing experience   there…..Then on the TV Screen was Chef Michael Solomanov from Zahav via some sort of TV Cam. He was only on TV for what seemed like 30 seconds and in that short time he whipped up Brussels Sprouts Baba Ganoush. It happened so fast I’m not sure I remembered everything but I think I did. I happened to have a Brussels Sprouts stalk in my refrigerator SO I HAD TO TRY! This recipe didn’t have any measurements given so I just had to wing because that’s the way I saw it done on TV. It’s pretty darn delicious! Maybe even FORKING AMAZING! You might want to give this a try! I cooked up all my brussels Sprouts and made about FOUR servings of the Brussels Sprout Baba Ganoush. This recipe is my interpretation of what I saw Chef Michael Solomonov do on the Rachel Ray TV Show.

Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts – I used one stalk

Canola oil for frying (I covered the pan well with oil)

1 lemon (just the fresh squeezed juice

1/3 cup tahini (only purchase tahini that you can pour or it’s too old to eat) ((I like the one that comes in a glass bottle that they sell at Walmart)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 oz roasted garlic (whipped or mashed very well) ( half heads of garlic and drizzle them with olive oil and roast in a 350 degree F oven about an hour)

1 cup (packed tight) of the dark charred Brussels Sprouts

water to thin to your desired consistency

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

8 Tablespoons creamy mild not tangy feta cheese (for finishing – 2 Tablespoons a serving)

4 Tablespoons toasted hazelnuts slightly crushed (for finishing – 1 Tablespoon a serving)

2 Tablespoons parsley chopped (for finishing)

4 Tablespoons harissa (condiment for finishing) (preferably a fresh made kind and not from a jar or can)

4 Tablespoons tahini  (condiment for finishing)

2 cups of fried Brussels Sprouts – about 1/2 cup portions for each serving

Directions

The brussels sprouts get cut in half.

Put a large fry pan on medium heat with a good amount of oil. (about 350 degrees F)

When the oil is hot use tongs and fry the Brussels Sprouts till browned (about 6-7 minutes) each brussels sprout is a different size. Some you have to turn over and brown the other side.

It’s a good idea to use a screen for less oil splats. You WANT about a cup of the brussels sprouts to get VERY DARK.

It’s just like when you make eggplant baba ganoush. You need it charred for flavor. The char also turns the sprouts sweet. The darkest Brussels Sprouts you use for the Brussels Sprouts Baba Ganoush. It’s best to get a paper towel under the fried sprouts and then hit then with fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Now pack a cup real tight of the sprout that are the most charred. (the darkest ones)

Fine chop the sprouts and put them in a medium sized bowl. (Chef Solomonov said Baba Ganoush should always be chunky)

Add fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup tahini, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 2 oz roasted garlic (whipped or mashed very well). Add water till it get to your desired consistency. It should look similar to this. Add fresh crushed sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Now you build it like a sundae.

On the bottom is a layer of the Brussels Sprouts Baba Ganoush. Use about a quarter of the mixture for a serving.

Top each serving with at least a 1/2 cup of brussels sprouts.

Top the brussels sprouts with about 2 Tablespoons of feta cheese.

Next about 1 Tablespoon of toasted hazelnuts.

finish with a small amount of parsley, a little harissa and a little tahini.

It’s really delicious! All the different flavors and textures go together well. It a Forking Great Brussels Sprouts Dish…Glad I caught Chef Solomonov on the Rachel Ray Show doing this dish!