eggplant appetizer

One of our Iranian friends Farouz made this for us and we like it so much ani tried it herself from a brief verbal description of the recipe. And it turned out just as good as we remembered it. How often does that happen?

We used it as an appetizer with whole wheat pita bread pieces and the leftover as a sauce in a leftover chicken with spicy white garlic sauce for a quick pita lunch wrap. No matter how it found its way into our digestive track, is was savored at entrance.

ingredients

3 narrow Italian eggplants (about 10oz ~ 300g) or the equivalent

2 T olive oil

1/4 t salt (adjust to taste)

2-3 cloves (to taste)

2 plum tomatoes

1/4 t allspice (ME if available)

freshly ground pepper (to taste)

cayenne red pepper (to taste but not too much!), just for an edge but not heat

parsley

instructions

1. Prepare the eggplants. Clean and cut into 3/8 in ~ 1 cm cubes with skins. Clean and chop the tomatoes.
2. Heat the oil in a small nonstick pot. When sufficiently hot, dump in the eggplant and salt.
3. Sauté a couple of minutes stirring around and then let them simmer covered but not sealed tight until they are nicely softened, maybe 30 minutes. Overcooking is better than undercooking here.
4. If the tomatoes are not juicy enough, add in a tablespoon or two of water.

notes

1. Like red traffic lights in Naples, this is just a suggestion. You may vary with your whim. We love eggplants prepared in many Mediterranean and Asian ways. This is our way to share that love before the main course.