This recipe is a variation of one my mother used to make often when I was a child. This type of vegetable “caviar” — which can be enjoyed as a dip, chunky spread, or topping — is common to Mediterranean cooking, especially in Italy and Greece. The secret to a pleasing texture is to dice all of the vegetable as uniformly as possible. I usually chop everything to between a 1/4″ and 1/2″ dice, with the exception of the fresh garlic and olives, which I mince. We’ve been receiving organic eggplants, green bell peppers, and onions in our CSA share from TableTop Farm for the past few weeks — all the excuse I need to make big batches of eggplant caviar so we have a healthful snack option on hand. I may even top some salmon burgers with eggplant caviar for dinner tonight. Happy summer snacking!
Eggplant Caviar
Combine in a very large skillet or wide pot over medium heat:
2 small or 1 large eggplant, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
16 oz. crimini or button mushrooms, chopped
2 small or 1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
Pour over the vegetables in the skillet:
2/3 cup olive oil
Simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Add to the skillet:
2 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 cup stuffed olives, drained and chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
Simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. If the mixture starts to look too dry, add an additional 1/4 cup water and combine well as it simmers. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, with crackers, good crusty bread, or on top of grilled meat, fish, or burgers. Also delicious served in little endive “boats.”
