DINNER TONIGHT Eggplant dish is inspired by Italian recipe

By JOE GRAY
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Sometimes I'll have in mind something for dinner and a vague idea of how I want it to end up, but no idea of how to get there. So, I head to a favorite cookbook or sometimes two or more. Skimming through recipes, I often meld the ideas from several into one dish, or I find a cooking method that I like and adapt it.
This time, with beautiful thin, deep-purple eggplant on the menu, I opened a classic, Ada Boni's "Italian Regional Cooking." This recipe is inspired by her melanzane a fungetielli, or eggplant cooked in the style of mushrooms, from the Campania region. To her eggplant and tomatoes, we add sweet peppers near the end of cooking to keep their texture. And we've got a more liberal hand with the fresh herbs, both in quantity and variety.
The dish goes well with a simply prepared steak, in this case eye of round, which cooks in minutes and without fuss. A fruity Italian wine such as barbera pairs beautifully with this meal.
MENU
Eggplant saute with eye-of-round steak
Leaf lettuce salad with vinaigrette
Barbera or dolcetto
Fig tart with spumoni
TIPS
Chop the tomatoes and pepper while the eggplant is cooking.
For best flavor, make sure to use small eggplants.
EGGPLANT SAUTE WITH EYE-OF-ROUND STEAK
3 tablespoons olive oil
8to 10 small eggplants, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
4 ripe tomatoes, cut in large chunks
2 green Italian sweet peppers, or 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 kalamata olives, quartered
2 tablespoons minced, each: fresh basil, thyme, oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 eye-of-round steaks
1/4 cup red wine
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant; cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to give up their juice, about 5 minutes.
Add pepper; cook 2 minutes. Stir in olives, herbs, salt and pepper, cook 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in large cast-iron skillet; cook steaks 2 at a time, just until brown; 1-2 minutes per side. Keep warm; repeat with remaining steaks.
Pour wine into pan; cook 1 minute, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Brush sauce over steaks; serve remaining sauce over steaks. Top steaks with eggplant mixture.
Makes 4 servings.