Eggplant (or Aubergine) with Tomato-Garlic Sauce

A Turkish recipe, one I adapted from Ayla Esen Algar’s
“The Complete Book of Turkish  Cooking,”a book I picked up when I was last in Istanbul.

3 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)

4 tablespoons coarse salt

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

5 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

(or 1½ cups canned tomatoes, drained)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoon water

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons vinegar

  

• Peel the eggplants and cut off the stems. 
• Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, then into ¼ inch slice. 
• Sprinkle the slices with the coarse salt, place them in a colander, cover with a heavy plate to weight down the pieces, and set aside for 4 hours. 
• Rinse the slices well and pat dry. 
• In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and fry the slices over a high heat (a few slices at a time) until they are golden brown on all sides. 
• Drain on paper towels and then arrange on a serving platter. 
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. 
• Add the chopped tomatoes simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Thin the tomato paste with the 2 tablespoons of water, add to the sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Stir in the garlic and the vinegar and remove from the heat. 
• Pour the sauce over the eggplant slices.

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