An incredibly aromatic eggplant stew in garlic tomato sauce, a vegan eggplant recipe that you will make over and over again.

Melt in your mouth vegan eggplant slices stewed in a full-flavored tomato sauce.

 

VEGAN EGGPLANT RECIPE

 

Romanians like stews, we can pretty much stew anything, I don’t think there is any vegetable sort or meat cut that hasn’t been stewed at one point or another. I could not really say why, but I suppose it has to do with the convenience of stewing.

First of all most of the time you only need one pot and one source of heat and that might be a reason why stewing has become the number one way of preparing food in Romania over the centuries or thousands of years.

Secondly, stewing is cheap and quick, you can throw just about anything you have in one pot, stir a little and get a delicious meal made out of very few ingredients, things that are in season or you happen to have in your house or garden, without the need of going out shopping for anything special.

I don’t do that much stewing nowadays, at least not as much as my grandmother used to do, but still I make more stews than any other person I know in Germany.

The Germans have a quite different way of approaching food. While the Romanians tend to stew, in one pot, anything in their range, the Germans like to have the food separated on their plates, so they typically would cook one piece of meat or fish accompanied by separately cooked vegetables and separately cooked potatoes.

I am a food lover, so I like both approaches, just as much as I like the way Italian people cook or Indian, Chinese or whatever.

 

 

EGGPLANT STEW WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Today’s stew features eggplants or aubergines, which are one of my favorite vegetable sorts. I like them so much, I could honestly eat them at least once a week, cooked in one way or another, unfortunately I am pretty much the only one in the house who likes them.

The kids have their veggie problem like most of the children of their age (and eggplants are particularly intimidating) and my husband seems unable to appreciate the delicacy, flavor and melt in your mouth consistency that properly cooked eggplants have.

He would eat them (most of the times) but rather grudgingly or because he doesn’t want to set a bad example to the kids. A few eggplant recipes that he enjoys as well are the Romanian Aubergine Salad – Vinete, Zacusca or these amazing Spaghetti with Eggplants, and I am happy to say that he did take seconds from today’s eggplant stew.

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE EGGPLANT STEW

Tomato sauce:

This aubergine or eggplant stew in tomato sauce is a typical Romanian vegetable stew, eaten a lot not only during the fasting times, but mostly in summer when the eggplants fill the markets. I stewed them in the Basic Tomato Sauce from Thursday, but if you choose not to make your own tomato sauce, you can use your favorite brand of tomato/marinara sauce.

The ingredients indicated make 2 large jars. You will only need about 250 ml/ 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup for the eggplant stew in tomato sauce.

• Chop 1 medium onion and 4 large garlic cloves finely. Keep them separated.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until translucent.
• Add the garlic, stir it shortly in the pan.
• Add 2 cans (400 g/ 14 oz each) chopped tomatoes.
• Add the 1 pack pureed tomatoes (500 g/ 17.6 oz), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon dried savory/thyme/oreganio/Italian herbs/Herbes de Provence, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon sugar, about ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and black pepper.
• Bring to a boil and cook on a medium-high flame for about 20 minutes.
• Turn the heat a bit down and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the sauce has a nice, thicker consistency. Adjust the taste with salt, pepper or a bit more sugar, if necessary.
• Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and puree the sauce with a blender, according to your preference, you can make it as smooth as you like it.
• Makes about 2 jars, depending on their size, which keep in the fridge for about one week. To keep it longer freeze the jars.

Eggplant stew:

• Slice the eggplants into 1.5 cm/ 0.6 inches.
• Place them in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Leave to stand for half an hour, rinse shortly and dry thoroughly on kitchen paper.
• Heat half of the oil in a large skillet or non stick pan. Fry half of the eggplant slices, about 3 minutes on each side or until golden and soft. Remove.
• Heat the remaining oil and fry the second batch of eggplant slices. Remove.
• Add the garlic, stir for 1 or 2 seconds.
• Add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and arrange the eggplants slices back into the pan.
• Carefully cover with the sauce.
• Cook gently on medium low heat and covered for about 10 minutes, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a little. Stir a couple of times in between, but very gently.

HOW TO SERVE EGGPLANT STEW

• The recipe for eggplant stew serves two as a main dish with bread or potatoes, for instance or a 4 as a side dish.
• In Romania we would eat the eggplant stew in tomato sauce with white bread.
• However, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or pasta are great as well.
• A green salad on the side.
• The eggplant stew in tomato sauce can also be served as a side dish for grilled meats, fish or chicken.

OTHER FAVORITE STEW RECIPES:

Cauliflower in Tomato Sauce – one of my favorite cauliflower recipes, you definitely have to try it.

Potato Stew with Sausages and Vegetables – another typical Romanian stew.

Spicy Cabbage Turmeric Stew – a simple cabbage stew with unusual spices.

Leek and Black Lentil Stew – probably my favorite vegetable stew, you won’t believe how delicious this is.

 

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