Turkish Delight: Braised Eggplant

A few weeks ago, the New York Times Dining section had an article about braising vegetables using a Turkish cooking method that defies all the current rules about fresh vegetables: not only are they cooked for a long time, but then they are served at room temperature. The three recipes provided, for braised green beans, leeks, and eggplant, all sounded intriguing, and since I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to prepare eggplant, I kept the recipes.

Last week, I got a lovely purple and white striped eggplant from the share table, and I decided it was time to try the Turkish art of braising. It took awhile; in fact, I started preparations around 2:00 pm and we ate at 6:00 pm. However, most of that time the meal was just sitting, or in one case, cooking over low heat, so it didn’t require tending more than about half an hour. And the results were amazing. I like eggplant, but this is the best-tasting eggplant I believe I've ever had.

Braised Eggplant with Pine Nuts

1 large or 2 small eggplant
1 tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsps pine nuts
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
¼ cup raisins
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
black pepper
2 Tbsps herbs: dill, parsley, tarragon, oregano
Thick yogurt and lemon wedges for serving

Trim the ends off the eggplant and peel alternating strips of skin. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes and place in a colander over a bowl. Toss with salt and let stand 30 minutes to 3 hours. Then rinse the eggplant well and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible, without breaking up the cubes.

In a large skillet, heat half the olive oil over medium high heat; add the eggplant when the oil is hot but not smoking. Move the cubes around until they are somewhat brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan with tongs, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible. Set eggplant aside and add remaining oil to the pan, with the onions and pine nuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent and pine nuts start to look brown, about 7-8 minutes.

Then add the eggplant back to the pan, along with the tomato, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, cumin, and pepper. Mix well and turn the heat down low, then cover and cook about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 5 to 10 more minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat and let sit uncovered until it is at room temperature, about 30 more minutes. Stir in the herbs and serve with yogurt and lemon slices.