Melitzanes jachni, Greek eggplant stew

This is one of the recipes I have been preparing since I can remember, for it is written in the Culinaria Greece cookbook my mother bought ages ago. I have always liked this dish, but now that I have made it with round mauve eggplants and Sardinian pelati, I absolutely adore it. When I lived in Sardinia these aubergines were very common, even more so than the elongated dark ones. The taste and texture are totally different, for the mauve variety is far less dry and melts on your tongue. They are difficult to get your hands on here in the Netherlands, but it isn't impossible if you know where to look or if you have a father who brings you some after a holiday on the island! The picture above is a detail of one of my paintings and it was painted after I got these beautiful vegetables as a present from my father! For the full painting, take a look at my website www.annamariavargiu.com . Okay, about the recipe. There are two ways you can do the sliced eggplants: you could put them in the oven till they are slightly soft and golden (180 degrees Celsius, max 15 minutes) or you could fry them in the pan. I prefer the oven, however, this time I had some carrots in there, so I had to use the pan instead. You choose! I do recommend to make this dish a day or at least a few hours in advance, because it tastes much better when the flavours have soaked in.

The golden eggplant slices

Ingredients, serves 3 - 2 big Italian eggplants or 3 normal ones, slices of 5mm - extra vergine olive oil - 3 medium onions, finely sliced (but not too thin) - 2 cloves of garlic, very finely sliced - 1 can of peeled tomatoes, pressed with a fork, so they fall apart - 1 tsp of sugar (in case you don't have the best quality pelati like I did) - oregano - salt and ground black pepper With the tip of a very sharp knife blade, make a raster on both sides of the eggplant slices, making sure to do it gently. Use a little brush to cover both sides with some olive oil and put them either in the oven or fry them in the pan. The eggplant should be slightly soft and have a golden colour. When they are done, arrange them on a plate with some kitchen towel. Take a heavy bottomed pan or a tagine (I am so fond of my tagine, I use it all the time) and put a little bit of olive oil in there. Proceed with half of the peeled tomatoes, half of the onions, salt, some of the eggplant slices, garlic, a generous amount of oregano, salt again and some ground black pepper. Proceed with the next layer. I did two in total but you are free to do as you want, even to change the order of the ingredients. I don't even know if I do it the same way each time I make this recipe... Anyway, add a teaspoon of sugar if your pelati are too sour and let the stew simmer for about 20-25 minutes. If you are using the dark elongated eggplants, you might have to add a bit of water, otherwise the dish will be too dry or burn at the bottom. Just keep checking every now and then. It is ready when the eggplants are very soft and the sauce is thickened. Enjoy!