Baba Ganoush

The secret of good baba ganoush is fire: the eggplant is charred whole over a flame until the skin collapses and the flesh takes on a deep smoky flavor.

The flesh is then scooped out and mashed. In the Lebanese moutabal it is mixed with tahini, lemon and garlic, creamy and pale. Other versions, closer to what the name means in some regions, skip the tahini and add chopped tomato, pepper, onion and pomegranate molasses. Either way it is a mezze dish, served with olive oil on top and warm bread on the side.

Portion size and pomegranate or nut toppings set the price. On SemFood, 6 options from $4.99 to $14.99.