Eggplant in tomato sauce

🍆 Tender purple eggplant cubes simmered with tomato, onion and garlic, using measured oil rather than deep frying. Four side portions.

Ingredients

• 800 g edible purple eggplants
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 150 g sliced onion
• 8 g chopped garlic
• 30 ml vegetable oil
• 150 ml hot drinking water
• 4 g salt, adjusted to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Wash and dry eggplants, remove stems and cut into even two-to-three-centimetre cubes with skin. Prepare the other vegetables.

Heat oil in a wide casserole. Soften onion for five minutes over medium heat.

Add garlic for one minute, then tomatoes. Cook uncovered for seven minutes until slightly reduced.

Add eggplant and fold for two minutes to coat in the tomato base; do not add a deep pool of oil.

Add 150 ml hot water and some salt. Cover and simmer gently for fifteen to twenty minutes, lifting the cubes once midway.

Test with a fork: the centre must be soft. Add a little hot water if the base dries before the eggplant is tender.

Uncover and reduce for two to three minutes if needed. Add pepper and adjust salt, keeping recognisable pieces.

Serve four hot side portions. Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate and use within two days after thorough reheating.