Eggplant Ragoût

Lisa gave me two eggplants and a whole bunch of other vegetables a few days ago. I've never loved eggplant but wanted to try cooking it so I whipped out The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook and let me tell you: Martha is a genius. Her eggplant ragoût recipe totally rocked! It's all about the fennel seeds. We served it over pasta with a side of breaded chicken. Serves 6. I cut this roughly in half and we had serious leftovers.

Ingredients:
2 tsp whole fennel seeds, toasted (in a dry skillet, heat until aromatic)
2 tbs EVOO
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 lbs mixed eggplant, cut into 1-inch dice
1 zucchini, cut into 1.5-inch-long matchsticks
5 medium plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
s+p

Place the fennel seeds in a spice grinder, process until finely ground. Set aside.

Caramelize the onion with the EVOO in a large skillet on low, 15-25 min. Stri often.

Add the garlic, fennel, and thyme. Stir well, cook about a minute. Increase heat to med/high adn add the white wine. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits from the bottom. Cook 1-2 minutes until about half reduced.

Add the eggplant and zucchini. Cover and cook 8-12 minutes until soft but still retaining their shapes and colors.

Add the tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cook on medium-high heat, covered, about 5 minutes until tomatoes release their juices but still retain their shape.

Season with s+p. Garnish with thyme.

Martha's nutrition facts per serving:
124 calories
5g fat
0mg cholesterol
17g carbs
364mg sodium
3g protein
3g dietary fiber