Peperonata with Eggplant & Tomato

Recipe by Paola Bacchia
Portray courtesy of Paola Bacchia

In the previous, eggplant became salted sooner than the teach of to remove bitterness—despite the real fact that most eggplants sold by greengrocers as we direct time are no longer in reality bitter.

That talked about, I light salt the diced eggplant for this recipe, as I get it is a big formula of seasoning the dish. It does take hold of some time, so in reality be at liberty to pass over this step.

This dish makes a main meal for vegetarians, a substantial facet dish, and could perhaps merely even be venerable as a unfavorable for about a batches of pasta. It’s going to even be halved and venerable in a risotto for four of us.

• 2 eggplants (aubergines), about 2 lbs. in total
  

• 1 tbsp. salt, for salting the eggplant
  

• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  

• 1 diminutive white onion, diced
  

• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
  

• 1–2 red bell peppers (capsicums), slash into ¾–1¼ in. dice
  

• 15½ oz. tinned peeled tomatoes
  

• 2–3 basil stalks
  

Instructions:

1. Prick the eggplant into 1¼–1½ plod chunks. Mutter in a enormous bowl and toss with the salt, rubbing it into the eggplant objects with your fingertips. Mutter apart on a wire rack to drain for roughly forty five minutes. Rinse underneath running water and pat dry.
2. Warm the olive oil in a enormous frying pan over medium–low warmth. Saute the onion with a exact pinch of salt for roughly 10 minutes. Add the garlic. After a minute or two, when aromatic, add the eggplant and bell pepper to warmth by technique of.
3. Add the tomatoes, breaking any bigger ones into smaller objects with a wooden spoon. Rinse the tomato tin with about a tablespoons of water and add that to the frying pan as successfully, alongside with the basil stalks.
4. Once everything is effervescent away, decrease the warmth and repair the lid on. Simmer for roughly forty five minutes, adding a splash extra water if well-known, or except the eggplant is cooked by technique of nonetheless no longer fully collapsed. Style for salt, especially if you happen to pushed apart salting the eggplant objects earlier; if you happen to did salt the eggplant, you might want to perhaps presumably also merely no longer want any extra salt.
5. Remove the basil stalks and aid warmth. Any leftovers will withhold in a ceramic or glass lidded container within the fridge for up to 1 week.

Excerpted from At Nonna’s Desk by Paola Bacchia, printed by Smith Avenue Books, 2024. Photography by © Paola Bacchia.