My favorite eggplant story: a good friend of mine took a bite of a sandwich stuffed with a medley of roasted vegetables (including a thick slice of eggplant) and proclaimed, “This pork chop is amazing!”
If you’re not a big vegetable eater, don’t let the poor lighting in the photo above scare away your appetite. It is easy to settle into a dinner centered on this ragu and find in it a satisfying winter meal; it is warmth and comfort without a hint of aggression.
Why do some people gravitate to eggplant if it's on a menu? I've heard it said that, in cultures where chocolate is not readily available, women have been known to crave eggplant. While I am inclined to believe this, a few Google searches offered no corroboration. However, “crave eggplant” turned up some 63,000 hits. Also, there are a surprising number of recipes out there for cubes of eggplant sautéed in oil, then dipped in chocolate. I was looking for “eggplant in lieu of chocolate”, not “eggplant in chocolate.” In the case that you are one tempted by the unusual, this combination didn’t get rave reviews by those who tried it. The most interesting thing I learned is that eggplant and its relative the tomato both contain trace amounts of nicotine.
No matter how you slice it, I love it and crave it- roasted or sautéed, salted or not, stuffed or pureed.
This recipe capitalizes on eggplant’s ability to soak up the flavors around it, and here the flavors meld together beautifully. Simple preparation leads to a dish complex in texture- the tomatoes fall apart a bit and lend slight acidity, the eggplant softens but holds its shape, the roasted peppers add a hint of something almost sweet. The whole mess thickens up as the eggplant absorbs the water. Try it on a heap of red quinoa with toasted pine nuts. Toss the leftovers with pasta and shaved parmesan. Decorate grilled polenta cakes with the ragu and feta cheese. Spread it over homemade pizza.
Next time…I already bought the ingredients for next time.
Recipe adapted from Gourmet, February 2008
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 T olive oil
1/2 c. roasted red peppers, chopped
3/4 c. water
Toss the eggplant with 1 tsp salt in a colander and let it sit for 30 minutes to drain. If you've got a meyer lemon rattling around your house, squeeze half of it over the eggplant- it brightens it up and adds a sublte undertone of floral tang. After the eggplant has drained, grab handfuls of it and squeeze to get out the excess moisture. Transfer the eggplant to a plate and blot it with a paper towel.
Cook the eggplant, onion, garlic, and oregano in olive oil over medium heat with a dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Give it a few stirs and cook until the eggplant and onion are soft, then add the tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and water. Simmer everything together, covered, stirring occasionally until the eggplant is very tender and the tomatoes have fallen apart a bit (about 10 min). At this point, the ragu should have thickened up. If it gets too thick, no worries, just add a tablespoon or two of water.
When it's done, add some chopped flat leaf parsley for both flavor and color.
To serve with red quinoa, while the ragu cooks, bring 1 1/2 c. salted water to a boil. Add 1 c quinoa and simmer on low heat 20-30 min. The grains will sprout. Let it stand 5 min off the heat, then fluff it with a fork.
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