Riste d'aubergine

OK, so I know that judging from the photo above, this may not look like the most appetizing recipe ever. But trust me when I say that this is a case of looks being deceiving.

Riste d'aubergine is a traditional vegetable dish here in Provence. It comes from the city of Arles, famous for its long history (populated for over 2500 years!), its Roman arena, and, well, its cuisine. Arlésiens (that's the official name for residents of Arles) know how to eat: long-grain rice from the neighboring Camargue, cauldrons of steaming bouillabaisse, stews chock full of tender chunks of bull simmered for hours, and my personal favorite, riste d'aubergine. This side dish features, of course, aubergine -- eggplant -- cooked for a few hours over very low heat with typical provencal spices, tomatoes, and onion. It's a close cousin to another famous French vegetable mix, ratatouille, but has a much more prevalent eggplant flavor and is much simpler thanks to the fact that you don't have to worry about roasting bell peppers beforehand.

Although this recipe calls for the eggplant to be cooked for two hours, you'll find there's not much work to do after the first 15 minutes or so. I recommend doubling the recipe, because you'll find that once cooked, you can do whatever you want with riste d'aubergine. Warm, it makes the perfect side dish to poultry, red meat or fish. Cool and topped with a drizzle of olive oil, you could serve it as an appetizer to a summer dinner party. Although I've never attempted it, I've been dreaming of following a recipe I saw online that suggested layering riste d'aubergine,

fresh goat cheese and lasagna noodles for a fresh, springy take on lasagna. A final suggestion is to thoroughly sterilize conserve jars (like Mason jars, or even empty pots of jam), fill them with cooled riste d'aubergine, pop on a grosgrain ribbon and a homemade label, and then give them as adorable walk-in gifts the next time you're invited to dinner.

Without further ado, the recipe:

Riste d'aubergine

Serves 4 (as a side dish)

1 large eggplant, or 2 medium sized eggplants

5 roma tomatoes

1 small to medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

olive oil

thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper

1. Begin by removing the tomato skins. To do so, cut a shallow "x" in the base of each of the tomatoes, then drop them into rapidly boiling water for about 10 seconds. Then, drain the tomatoes and immediately run them under cold water. The skins should peel off easily. Cut peeled tomatoes into small chunks.
2. Peel the eggplant(s) and scrape away the seeds. Cut into small chunks.
3. In a large frying pan or wok, heat a few spoonfuls of olive oil over medium low heat. Add eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Season generously with herbs, salt and pepper.
4. Let the vegetables cook over low heat for approximately two hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. If the vegetables look dry, add a a bit of olive oil or cover.

And that's it! Enjoy your culinary voyage to Arles, and bon appetit!