Eggplant with porcini mushrooms

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 m.-large eggplant(s), round
• 20 g dried porcini mushrooms, OR:
• 200 g porcini mushrooms, fresh
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ bunch parsley
• 1 large beefsteak tomato(s), OR:
• 2 tomatoes
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, cold squeezed
• n. B. Salt
• n. B. Pfeffer

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

Eggplant with mushrooms. A dish from Calabria.

Cover dried porcini mushrooms with water in a cup and soak for about 1 hour. Clean fresh porcini mushrooms thoroughly, slice, and then stripe them. Cut the stems off 2 eggplants and cut the eggplants, skin on, into 1 cm cubes. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves. Finely chop the parsley. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat and sauté the garlic for a few minutes, but do not allow it to brown. Add the eggplant cubes and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, place the beefsteak tomato in boiling water until the skin bursts, then plunge into cold water, peel, and finely chop. Remove the soaked mushrooms, cut into strips, and add them to the eggplant along with the soaking water and tomato. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes to evaporate any excess liquid. If the mixture becomes too dry, continue to simmer with the lid on. Finally, stir in the parsley. Serve warm as a starter or side dish, or even better cold as an antipasti.