Eggplant con Pomodori

As an Italian, eggplant has always been a predominate vegetable in my household. However most recipes call for tons of cheese, bread crumbs and frying or baking. I wanted a dish that preserved the wonderful taste of eggplant and tomatoes but with less work and calories. To reduce the cooking time I start by microwaving the eggplant which cooks it faster and reduces its water content by half. When you add it in with the tomatoes, it soaks up the liquid from the tomatoes resulting in a rich and savory flavor that is also very healthy. It will remind you of eggplant parmigiana without all of the cheese and fried eggplant.

Makes 8 Sides

Ingredients

1 Medium to Large Purple Eggplant (diced)

1 tsp Table Salt

1 Yellow Onion (finely diced)

1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1 15oz. Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)

½ tsp Dried Parsley or 1½ tsp Fresh Parsley (minced)

¼ tsp Dried Basil or ¾ tsp Fresh Parsley (minced)

2 TBS Grated Romano Cheese *

Peel and dice the eggplant into ¼ inch cubes. Place in a colander placed in a bowl and sprinkle with one teaspoon of table salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

Rinse the eggplant (to remove excess salt) then place it on a large microwave safe plate covered with two sheets of paper towel. Place two more sheets of paper towels on top of the eggplant and microwave on high for 10 minutes.

Finely diced the onion. Sautee in a large skillet over medium heat until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the undrained can of diced tomatoes, parsley, basil, and grated Romano cheese. Simmer until about half the liquid evaporates and it starts to thicken. Add the cooked eggplant lower the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

* Pronto Substitute

Romano Cheese – Romano is a sharp deeply flavorful grated cheese. You can substitute a good quality parmesan cheese.

Canned Tomatoes vs. Fresh

Getting flavorful tomatoes today means going to the farmers market where you can get vine ripened tomatoes. Canned diced tomatoes are consistent, sweet and available all year long. Calcium chloride is added to stabilize the cell structure of the canned tomatoes, giving them a firmer texture. This works perfectly when you want firm chunks of tomato in the final dish.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Eggplant con Pomodori.