Recipe of the Month - July
So simple, quintessentially Mediterranean. Enjoy as a summer lunch or supper, eat hot or cold, have a Greek-ish salad alongside — wedges of tomatoes, onions, arugula, peppers, feta cheese, olives, etc. Enjoy a glass of beer, a hunk of country bread or a plate of simple buttered rice sprinkled with green onions, fresh dill and mint; a bowl of yogurt on the side. Close your eyes: you might be sitting at a table on the edge of the Aegean.
Greek Stew of Eggplant, Chickpeas and Onions
- 2 medium-sized eggplants, cut into pieces about 3/4&ndash" in size (big bite-sized pieces)
- 3–5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 onions, cut into small chunks or thick lengthwise slices
- 3–5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- Salt, pepper, tiny pinch of sugar to taste
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes, each about 12–13 ounces (340–370g); include the juices in the can
- Large pinch of oregano leaves, crushed between your fingers
In a non-stick frying pan, brown the eggplant chunks over a medium high heat in a single layer without crowding the pan in several tablespoons of the olive oil. If you crowd the pan, the eggplant (being a moist vegetable) will not brown. Turn them so that they brown in spots all over the chunks but do not cook all the way through. Place them into a large stove top casserole or pot as they cook. When all of the eggplant have been moved to the large pot, add another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and add the onions. Over high heat give them a minute or two, not cooking them, rather just searing them in places. Add the onions to the pot with the eggplant.
Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, then add the tomatoes and mix together. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, then remove the lid and cook over medium low heat for a further 15 minutes or so. Don't stir the mixture exactly, as you want the eggplant to stay together, not become a mush; rather using a spatula, turn the mixture so that the tomatoes don't stick, the onions all cook, and the extra liguid boils away.
When the vegetables are all tender, check to see if there is extra liquid. You don't want it too liquidy or soupy, rather a thick mixture with just enough liquid to hold it together. If it is too soupy, push the vegetables over to one side and boil the excess liquid away; it should only take a few minutes. Don't move too far away from the pot as this is going on, since a minute or two left unoberserved could mean completely burnt on the bottom.
When the liquid is evaporated and condensed and the vegetables are tender, crush the oregano leaves into the stew and taste for seasoning. Stir in any leftover olive oil.
Eat hot or at room temperature. A wedge of lemon for squeezing is a classic Greek touch.
© Marlena Spieler 2003