[Food Series] An Easy and Nontraditional Eggplant Caponata

Our family loves eggplant! I was raised by a mom who is not a big fan, but after falling in love and marrying a Mediterranean man, I quickly discovered its creamy deliciousness! Caponata is an easy and tasty way to get even picky eaters to give it a try! I must admit though, my Caponata is a hybrid mixing the traditional Sicilian flavors with some of my favorite Turkish flavors and my own Southern Girl twist! Enjoy!

Eggplant Caponata

Ingredients
4 medium size eggplants
1/2 of a spanish onion
1 tomato
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chopped olives
1 cup of shiitake mushrooms (I told you it was nontraditional!)
1/4 cup freshly minced dill
1/4 cup freshly minced flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/3 cup of Olive Oil
2 tablespoons of Turkish or Mediterranean style tomato paste (trust me, there is a big taste difference between these and the American version!)
1/3 cup of dry white wine
1/4 cup of beef stock (low sodium)
1/4 cup of chicken stock (low sodium)
1 cup of water
salt & pepper to taste

Peel and chop the eggplant (I peel it around per quarter to leave a little skin on all sides), onion, tomato, olives, mushrooms and mince the garlic, dill and parsley. In a deep pot, saute the onions in a tablespoons of olive oil for about a minute, then add the garlic and saute for another minute. Then, I literally throw everything else in together, bring it up to a simmer and keep on low heat covered for about an hour, stirring occasionally. That's IT! So easy and so yummy!! I usually serve this with rice and plain yogurt.