Stewed Eggplant

I love eggplant.  In the summer, my favorite way to cook it is just to grill it.  Now that it's getting colder, though, I love to put it into all sorts of stews.  This recipe focuses on the eggplant- there are not a ton of other ingredients to get in the way.  I used cardamon and ginger as my predominant seasonings in this recipe, but you could definitely go with a more Italian-y flavor profile by omitting those and subbing in some basil and oregano.

What you need:

1-2 teaspoons olive oil (or more if you want something richer.  Eggplant and lots of olive oil are delicious, but I wanted to keep this lighter)
1 medium onion, diced
1 inch cube of peeled ginger, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 LARGE eggplant (or two medium), cut into 1 inch chunks
1/3 cup red wine or broth
1 medium/large tomato, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Salt, pepper, and cardamon to taste


Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute for a couple minutes (I cut up the eggplant while these were in the pan).  Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt.  Saute for a few minutes, then add the wine/broth and scrape up any brown bits. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes. The eggplant needs to cook through and should start to fall apart.  Add the tomato, salt, pepper, and cardamon.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until tomato has cooked through.

I left this as is this time, but it would be great topped with a little goat cheese or a full-fat Greek yogurt.  Or try serving with pita chips or as a bruschetta on top of pieces of toasted pita bread.