Recipe: Kyma’s eggplant stew with onions and tomato sauce

Kyma s eggplant stew with onions and tomato sauce is a traditional Greek main dish but at the restaurant it s served as an appetizer Photo by Madelynne Grace Bites and Bevs This week per a Rough Draft reader request we re sharing Kyma s recipe for its eggplant stew with onions and tomato sauce Kyma Chef Pano Karatassos noted that eggplant stew has thousands of years of history the vegetable originated in East and South Asia and traveled westward over time Karatassos added that Greeks consider this stew a main dish Greeks don t eat protein every night he noted Traditionally the diet centers on vegetarian dishes most of days with fish a couple of times a week chicken once a week and red meat only about once a month The Greek island Ikaria is one of the world s five blue zones where people live longer-than-average lives so clearly the traditional Mediterranean diet is doing something right At Kyma however eggplant stew is served as a meze or a side Karatassos recommends pairing the stew with bread and cheese or cheese saganaki flaming Greek cheese If you d rather have the stew as a side Karatossos suggests pairing it with grilled steaks lamb chops salmon or snapper This recipe calls for Greek tomato sauce which can either be purchased at a specialty realm or online Karatassos cookbook Modern Greek Cooking also includes his recipe for the eggplant stew When cooking eggplant remember that it will absorb as much oil as you give it Karatassos stated For first-timers the key is to add the oil gradually as you cook Feed the oil to the pan not directly to the eggplant until you achieve the color and texture you want While the Kyma recipe is written as part of a main unit it can be adjusted for a meze Karatassos recommends splitting the ingredients between two -inch cm round shallow baking pans to make the stew feel more like a meze More recipes from the Rough Draft archives Serves Ingredients cup ml canola oil pounds g small Japanese eggplants sliced crosswise on the diagonal inch cm thick Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste thyme sprigs garlic cloves crushed medium Vidalia sweet onion halved and thinly sliced cup ml Greek tomato sauce Chopped parsley for garnish optional Directions Make the eggplant Heat the oven to F C Line a baking sheet with paper towels In a large skillet warm tablespoons of the oil Add half of the eggplant slices season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat turning occasionally until browned and tender to minutes Add thyme sprigs and garlic cloves toss with the eggplant to mix and cook stirring for seconds Transfer the eggplant to the prepared baking sheet discard the thyme and garlic Repeat with tablespoons of the oil and the remaining eggplant thyme and garlic Add the onion In the same skillet warm the remaining tablespoons of oil Add the onion season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until lightly browned to minutes Remove the skillet from the heat Layer and bake In a medium baking pan spread cup ml of the tomato sauce Layer one-third of the onions one-third of the eggplant and cup ml of the tomato sauce on top and repeat two more times finishing with the tomato sauce Cover with a lid or foil and bake until very hot about minutes Let stand for minutes then garnish with parsley if desired and serve hot warm or at room temperature The post Recipe Kyma s eggplant stew with onions and tomato sauce appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta