Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Stew

It's that magical time of year, when eggplants start appearing at the farmers market, CSA box, or in your home garden.  But for many of us, eggplants are a source of confusion and contempt (at least, this was the case for me for a long time).  The first time I attempted eggplant, I didn't cook it long enough, and found it had a horrifyingly spongy texture.  It was a few years until I attempted it again.  Eggplant is one of those vegetables that has to be cooked very, very well for me to enjoy it.

One of the tiny eggplants
growing in our garden

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare an eggplant-- the result is a deliciously sweet flavor that I didn't even know could exist in an eggplant before I tried it.  It takes a little time, but it doesn't require a lot of work, so you could prepare this eggplant the night before you're going to use it while you're doing something else (like watching junky TV... for some reason I'm obsessed with Gossip Girl.  There, I said it.)

I am really happy with the way this recipe turned out.  But if this recipe isn't for you, and you still are looking for a way to use up some eggplants, may I suggest baba ghanoush (pronounced bah-bah gah-new-sh).  A very nice recipe that I've enjoyed in the past can be found on this blog, here.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, roasted (or two smaller eggplants; see roasting directions below)Ingredients:
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 pinch red pepper flakes (or more if you like a little heat)
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock (I like to use bullion cubes, so I can vary intensity)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1+ tablespoon soy sauce
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and wrung slightly to remove water
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1+ tablespoon sugar (if needed)
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Roasting an eggplant:

Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees.  Rub exterior of eggplant with olive oil, and place in a glass baking dish.   Turn eggplant every 15 minutes, until exterior is charred and the interior is very soft (you can tell by squeezing the eggplant with a tongs).  Be careful not to rupture the eggplant and release it's juices.  Cool eggplant entirely (you can expedite this by putting it in the freezer), and then remove the skin.

Whole dish p

reparation:

(start cooking brown rice before you begin).

In a dutch oven, heat two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add onion, and cook 10 minutes until beginning to become translucent.  Add bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and garlic, and cook 1 minute longer.  Add tomatoes, 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, and thyme, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Chop roasted and pealed eggplant into ~3/4 inch cubes, and add to tomato mixture.  Simmer another 10 minutes.  Add spinach and garbanzo beans, and return to a simmer.  Taste, adding more soy sauce or broth if needed.  If your eggplant isn't very sweet, add a tablespoon of sugar.  Serve over rice.

Optional:  Serve with a large dollop of plain yogurt as a garnish.