When buying eggplant, select those with shiny and unbruised skins and an even shape, for even cooking. Pita bread, tomato wedges and cucumber slices make delicious accompaniments for dipping.

• 2 pounds eggplant (about 2 large globe eggplants) 
  • or 10 Japanese eggplants, poked uniformly over the entire surface with a fork to prevent the eggplants from bursting
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the grill to high. Set the eggplants on the BBQ and grill, turning every 5 minutes, until the skins darken and wrinkle on all sides and eggplants are uniformly soft when pressed with tongs, about 25 minutes for large globe eggplants, 20 minutes for Italian eggplants, and 15 minutes for Japanese eggplants.

Transfer the eggplants to a rimmed baking sheet and cool 5 minutes. Set a small colander over a bowl.  Trim the top and bottom off each eggplant and slit eggplants lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the hot pulp from the skins and place the pulp in the colander; discard the skins. Let the pulp drain for 5 minutes.

Transfer the pulp to the bowl of your food processor and add the lemon juice, garlic, tahini, olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Process until the mixture has coarse, choppy texture, about eight 1-second pulses. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm or chill for later use. When ready to serve, use a spoon to make trough in the center of the dip and pour olive oil into it, garnish with parsley and serve.

Makes about 2 Cups