Recipe: Shiraz Eggplants

Recipe Source: Ramazani, Nesta.  Persian Cooking.  Ibex Publishers, Bethesda, 1997 p. 85

I love eggplant.  It's probably a little odd that I do, since we never had it at home when I was a kid.  Eggplant is vaguely in season right now, and I've been trying to find new and exciting ways to use this vegetable.  This initially caused my husband some consternation.  He had some kind of horrible eggplant culinary trauma as a child and has avoided it ever since.  He's slowly starting to come around, though.  I needed to cook for my in-laws recently and when I stumbled upon this recipe I decided it had to happen.  My favorite poet is from the city of Shiraz (although I can only read his works in translation), so the recipe looked extra-special to me. 

I did make some changes.  I always do.  I used olive oil instead of butter - in addition to being healthier than butter or shortening, it's less expensive.  I also tend to use olive oil as my primary cooking fat, so it's just an instinct with me.  I was also running very short on time, so I used a can of crushed tomatoes instead of crushing my own fresh tomatoes.  This resulted in my having almost an entire extra pound of tomatoes in the dish, but that's okay.  Tomatoes are amazingly good for you, especially when cooked.  This same time crunch resulted in my using cilantro in place of the parsley, because I had cilantro already cleaned and the parsley hadn't been touched yet.  I figured that this would be okay because I have plenty of Persian recipes that use cilantro, although not necessarily from Shiraz.  At any rate, despite my deep reservations stemming from the time crunch, the dish came out very well indeed.  I'll almost certainly be making it again! 

Shiraz Eggplants (serves 4 generously; approx. $2.41/serving)

2 large eggplants

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

2 bunches of scallions, chopped

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment:

• Large skillet or wok with a lid
• Bowl (to remove the eggplants to)

1. Trim and peel your eggplants.  Slice them into thin slices.  The thinner you slice them, the faster and more evenly they'll cook.
2. Heat the oil in the skillet.  Saute the eggplant until lightly browned.  Evacuate to the bowl. 
3. Drain any remaining oil from the skillet. 
4. Return the eggplant slices to the skillet.  Pour the tomatoes over the eggplant, then sprinkle the scallions and cilantro over that. 
5. Add kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. 
7. Serve.

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