egg plant stew

EGGPLANT STEW
The slow cooker did its magic once again on an assortment of foods that are unlimited in my new diet.

I'll add some hot sauce to my dish, but generally this is pretty good.

Brown nothing before hand in any oil. Add no meat or dairy.

eggplant cut in chunks.
Sliced mushrooms
chopped green pepper
sliced white onion
four cloves of sliced garlic
one can of crushed tomatoes
one can of black beans(undrained)
Italian spice mix
good bit of oregano
good bit of paprika
bit of black pepper
stir it up, cover and cook

Cook on high a couple hours, then low until the eggplant is the texture you like.
Add salt and hot pepper to taste in your own bowl.

second batch october 16 - the eggplant was bigger and took up a good bit of space so I had to cook it down a bit first. I used the powdered garlic and some tarragon and pizza spice mix this time. Yellow onion. I put the mushrooms in whole. a package of 16 variety beans which had been boiled and let stand an hour absorbing much of the liquid.

third try - November 1 - 2008
I used large bites of eggplant and limited the rest to red and green pepper, a very few small carrots (from a snack bag) yellow onion, and the can of crushed tomatoes.

For spice I used black pepper and herbs de provence bought on line a few months ago. Nothing else this time.

I liked the taste of the result in the undercooked version.

I cooked on high for just three hours. The eggplant was not all much but some of the other vegetables were a bit too underdone. I have turned it down to low for another hour.

fourth try- Florida- January 5
I used a larger eggplant and lots of green pepper and with the portobello and bit of onion that filled the pot. Italian seasoning, oregano, black pepper, paprika, powdered garlic, no beans (no room), can of crushed tomato. In at 8:15 on high. Three hours then low for two hours. May be a bit overcooked. Is certainly done

5th try - This time no beans at all. Did not have paprika. Used organic diced tomato, nature's place, rather than the crushed Italian. And I just forgot the onion. I'll add it once things cook down a bit half way through the cooking.

May 28-2009- No beans again this time. Used some fresh baby spinach. Used can of whole tomatoes and sweet red pepper. Small bit of chicken broth as with the whole tomatoes it seemed dryer. Small carrots. I could not get the onion in until it cooked down a bit. Paprika and oregano and garlic powder. Black pepper.

July 2009 -
No Italian seasonings except the garlic
crushed that
No mushrooms
Used Tandoori spice and paprika

Boiled some lentils to combine if desired.

September 2009

I bought another slow cooker at the Methodist Fair for a dollar.

So I split an eggplant into two parts and made two batches.
Both batches had:
Chunked eggplant
Huffy's end of the year tomatoes. Very sweet. 2 large tomatoes
black pepper
two green and two red peppers
white mushrooms put in whole
sliced onions- one yellow and half of one white
covered with one half large can of crushed tomato with basil
(note: I tried cooking this without the additional tomato sauce and it would be fine if I wanted just vegetables, but I like the soup/stew like consistency, so I poured the sauce over the top of the partially cooked vegetables and hope it will seep into the mixture while keeping the top from drying out.)

One batched seasoned with fresh garlic and paprika
The other has black beans and herbs de Provence.

Cooked a couple hours on high but turned it to low before any vigorous bubbling started.
Tasted it an hour later and it is still too raw for my taste, but interestingly the eggplant is cooked almost enough. Perhaps next time I'll put the eggplant in after the two hours on high and then cook the rest until the eggplant is the texture I would like.

Still tasted good when the rest cooked up tender. I like the beans as long as there are not so many that they overwhelm the rest. This was half a 25 oz can or organic black beans. I drained them as well and suggest that so the bean juices don't overwhelm. Some for flavor is good. I would not rinse the beans of all the juices.

I like the herbs de Provence spices. The plainer version with just garlic and paprika is still good. Elizabeth likes that one. But it cannot match the bean version. Of course, the right sort of sausage would be good, or shrimp. We are making all veggie this time.

Also, I quartered the yellow onion, but I better like the onions completely sliced thin or chopped and the white onion is just a nicer, sweeter flavor than these fancy yellows.

PS: After a day in the refrigerator the bean eggplant stew seemed to sour a bit. I do remember Julia Childs talking about things covered before they cooled getting a little sour. She mentioned chicken stew, but perhpas it works for this as well. I added just one package of stevia and that sweetened my bowl just fine.