Chickpea, Tomato, & Eggplant Stew

I’m now just about convinced I’m an authentic eggplant fan. Having recently tryed a handful of recipes from this book that include eggplant, a vegetable that in the past, I was only mildly fond of, I find I’ve changed my mind. Either these recipes are perfectly made for eggplant, or I’m getting better at working with it, or my tastes are just changing. In any case, I’m glad I am finally able to happily include this beautiful vegetable in my regular recipe rotation. The “Chickpea, Tomato, & Eggplant Stew”, page 258, is an elemental, earthy combination of onion, eggplant, carrots, potatoes, red bell pepper, chickpeas, and tomatoes, brought to full flavor with garlic, parsley, oregano, and basil. There are only two steps in the recipe preparation, sautéing a portion of the veggies, and adding the rest of the ingredients to simmer for a bit. Easy, satisfying, and tastes even better the next day, if you have any leftovers.

The recipe as written only calls for 1 tablespoon of oil. It’s easy to omit this altogether, using any other liquid you prefer for sautéing the veggies.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Replace the oil with water, broth, soy sauce, or sherry for sautéing the veggies and/or use a nonstick pot.