Summertime Eggplant Stew

1 large eggplant
4 large tomatoes chopped (use only fresh tomatoes for this recipe)
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tbs olive oil
3 tbs capers, chopped
1/3 cup green olives, chopped
Handful of chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
S/P to taste

Peel, seed, dice and toss eggplant with salt. Place in colander and weigh down with dish and heavy cans to extract the bitter juices for 1 hour.
Rinse and pat dry. Put aside.

In a pot place 4 tbs olive oil.
Saut?chopped onion a few minutes.
Add garlic, eggplant and tomatoes.

Cover and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat if necessary to avoid burning.

Add olives and capers and continue cooking an additional 15 minutes.
Add handful of chopped fresh basil.
Use a spoon or potato masher to crush and blend the tomatoes and eggplant.

Continue simmering, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in cheese.
S/P. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

This recipe can become a complete meal by adding 2-3 links of cooked Italian sausage cut into chunks. Also, it can also be used as a sauce over pasta. No matter how you serve it be certain to accompany the dish with crusty bread.
Judy/Buffalo  

http://www.nancyskitchen.com