Peperonata (or italian eggplant)

While the eggplant is sitting, de-seed and dice both bell peppers. You can use red, green or yellow ones, depending on how colorful you want this to look.

Put a generous amount of oil in your skillet and turn the heat up to medium high. Put in your eggplant and kinda of stir-fry it, keeping it moving until it starts to get soft. Then add the bell pepper. When the pepper starts to go a bit soft, crush your garlic and add that to the skillet stirring constantly. Then add your can of tomatoes. You can use the Italian seasoned tomatoes if you'd like a bit of extra flavor.

Lower the heat to simmering, cover and cook an additional 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Before serving, give it a quick stir to blend in the flavors one last time.

This recipe freezes great, and you can eat it hot or cold as a dip. My favorite way is to buy a nice loaf of french bread, hollow out the centre, and fill it with the Peperonata. What a great way to prepare for a picnic!

Serves: 3-4