Berenjena Guisada

Ingredients

• 2 large aubergines, in 2 cm cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 culantro leaves, or a handful of coriander
• 150 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper

Method

1. Sofrito

   Soften the onion, garlic and green pepper in the olive oil until sweet.

   7 min

2. Tomato base

   Add the tomatoes, purée and oregano and cook until the tomatoes have collapsed and the oil separates out at the edges.

   8 min

3. Aubergine in whole cubes

   Stir in the aubergine and the water, cover, and cook for fifteen minutes. Do not salt it yet: salted early, aubergine weeps and the pot ends up boiling rather than stewing.

   15 min

4. Crush and season

   Uncover, crush about half the aubergine into the sauce and season now. It should be soft and jammy, somewhere between a stew and a spoonable purée, and it is as good cold the next day.

   5 min