✓ Medium eggplant, unpeeled, cut into approximately 1” cubes
✓ 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped into 1⁄4” or smaller pieces
✓ Medium bell pepper
✓ (optional) Small can (approx. 15 ounces) of white beans like Great Northern or Cannellini; you may use 1⁄4, 1⁄2, 3⁄4, or the full can
✓ Small can (approx. 15 ounces) canned tomato – roasted or stewed is great, but diced or sauce is also fine
✓ (optional) Up to 1⁄4 cup onion; cut off about ten thin half-moons approx. 1⁄4” x 1” and very roughly chop the rest into maybe 1” cubes
✓ (optional) seedless tangerine (or seeded tangerine or orange)
✓ (optional) Up to about a dozen olives, pitted and halved OR 2t capers
✓ (optional) 10 sundried tomatoes (not oil-based), soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes then drained and cut into quarters or eights
✓ Dried herbs/seasonings (adjust to your taste): 2t garlic powder, s, 1⁄2 t thyme, 1 1⁄2 t lemon pepper, 1⁄2 salt, and (optional) 1t crushed hot red pepper
Instructions
Next, follow the steps to finalize your dish and finally be able to enjoy it!
Preheat oven to 450F
Put the eggplant cubes and garlic on a baking sheet or oven-safe shallow plate and, once the oven is preheated, roast for 15-20m till slightly shriveled and lightly browned. You don’t need oil or even a marinade but can optionally toss the eggplant cubes in vegetable broth and herbs. In the end, the eggplant will be cooked in the sauce so just a plain roast is all that’s needed.
While the eggplant and garlic are roasting, flame-roast the bell pepper by letting it sit atop a gas flame, turning it a few times a minute till it is well charred. Put it in a brown paper bag, close the bag, and let it sit for at least a few minutes till it can be handled comfortably, then put it under running tap water and rub the pepper, removing the charred surface. Poke the pepper to remove liquid then chop, discarding or composting the central core with seeds and stem, into 3⁄4” cubes. If you don’t have a gas range, you can simply roast the pepper by chopping it and then putting it in the oven with the eggplant, but I find flame- roasting fun and more tasty.
The beans add additional nutrition and thickness to the sauce. Use the full can if you want a thick sauce, but I think 1⁄4 can is a great amount with which to start; you can try the sauce and add more if you wish. Put the beans, garlic, and, if used, the onion cubes into the blender.
Add most of the eggplant and bell pepper to the blender. The larger proportion you add, the more homogeneous the sauce will be. I suggest using 3⁄4 to 7/8 of the eggplant and pepper.
If using citrus, add it to the blender. I make my own beans in my pressure cooker and have put tangerine segments into the cooking water before cooking as an alternative. If you do use citrus, it adds a nice subtle touch.
Add enough of the sauce to make blending easy; try 1⁄4 of the sauce. Blend briefly till homogenized
Mix the blended sauce into the rest of the eggplant and bell pepper. Add any of the optional additional ingredients (half-moon onions, capers or olives, and/or sundried tomatoes) plus herbs and seasonings.
Warm on medium-high until slightly uncomfortably warm to the touch, then simmer on low for 5-30 minutes (the longer the more pronounced flavor).
Serve atop pasta or (raw or cooked) vegetables. It makes enough sauce for 6 medium-large servings.
