Eggplant and tomatoes: stewed and baked

About a year ago, I had my neighbors coming for dinner, and I became embroiled in a family dispute.  You see, one of them loves liver with bacon and onions. She requested that I put that on the menu. The problem is that her husband can’t stand liver. He was like, “Eeew, how could you eat that!” 

I needed to make the peace, and quickly! I solved the dilemma by making liver, bacon and onions for her, and pasties for him and their daughter.

When I went to the store to pick up everything I needed for dinner, I saw the baby eggplant and I couldn’t resist. I love eggplant. Even though stewed eggplant isn’t usually served with either liver or pasties, I decided to give it a try.

You may have noticed that I’ve become fond of San Marzano tomatoes. They come from a certain region of Italy, but most groceries carry them. They are more expensive than regular canned tomatoes but I find that in a dish like this, they are worth the extra cost. They are sweeter and more tender than other canned tomatoes and add a lot to the delicate flavor of the eggplant and cheese.

4 small, or 1 large eggplant

Extra good, extra virgin olive oil

4 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1 large shallot, sliced razor thin

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. white pepper

1 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes

1/2 cup grated Italian provolone

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation 

Peel and cube the eggplant. Heat a large cast iron skillet and add at least an eighth inch of olive oil to the skillet. Eggplant loves olive oil, so it is important that you use a good one. Add the eggplant to the oil and spread it out. Stir and cook the eggplant until it looses its white color. It will absorb most of the olive oil. If needed, add a spec more.

Once the eggplant has cooked a few minutes, add the garlic and shallots and stir. Add the basil, oregano and white pepper. Stir and let that cook for another couple of minutes. Add the can of San Marzano tomatoes and break them up with a knife and fork. Stir and let that simmer, very gently, for about five or ten minutes. If you have any, add some fresh torn basil leaves and stir.

Pour the eggplant and tomato mixture into a large casserole or clay baking bowl. Add the provolone cheese to it. Now Add the mozzarella cheese. Don’t measure. Add enough cheese so that when you look at it, you think, “Wow, that’s a lot of cheese!” Gently push the cheese down a little into the sauce. 

Bake the eggplant and tomatoes in a 380º oven until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for about ten minutes until serving.

Serving

To serve this, place a large scoop of the cheesy eggplant tomato stew on the plate. Next place either the liver, bacon and onions next to that, or place a large pasty next to it. Since I wasn’t taking sides in the family dispute, I placed both next to my stewed eggplant. You know me, everything in moderation. To round out the dinner, slice the homemade bread, open a bottle of  Montepulciano DʼAbruzzo and ring the dinner bell.