A lot of eggplant, a can of fire roasted tomatoes and a crock pot! Will it work?

[Diana]

I was thinking of chunking the eggplant tossing it in, pouring in the tomatoes and adding garlic, salt and pepper, a cup of white wine, olive oil and onions and letting go on low all night.

Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?

[Gio]

This sounds like the classic Italian dish: Giambotta. (spelling is iffy)
Add some crushed basil and/or oregano toward the end....and don't forget the crusty bread. What time's dinner?

[Diana]

I did it last night with onion, garlic, a little oil, salt, pepper, eggplant, two types of zucchini, sangiovese, A can of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, a splash of balsamic and a bit of water. It didn't turn out so good. The flavor is mudddy and has no brightness...sort of acidic. I wanterd more roasty depth with the brite notes of the tomato. I set it on High in the crock for about 4 hours, when the zuccini was done through.

What did I do wrong?

[southernitalian]

Fool around with it. I never make mine the same way twice. I use up whatever needs to be used up. I've never bombed but some attempts are better than others. Did I mention I sprinkle cheese on top?

[4Snisl]

I think you got it in recognizing that it was missing "roasty depth"- when you bake or cook on the stovetop, there's some caramelization of the vegetables (especially the tomatoes) that balances the acidity out.

[Anne H]

I would saute the onions a bit before throwing them in. Also, I add oregano and lemon juice. (Will say that when I've done this, it has not been in a crock pot, but I don't think that makes a big diff here.) Haven't done it in awhile because other family members are not as enthusiatic about eggplant as I am.

[Mr. Cookie]

Ditto on sauteeing the onions first until they're soft, at least a few minutes. Then throw in minced garlic for another minute or two. THEN add the other ingredients.

This will make the taste of the finished product more complex and savory.

[MobyRichard]

A teaspoon of sugar will round out the acidity. I don't think I'd include the zucchini. It adds quite a bit of liquid and not that much flavor or texture, in my opinion. What about a roasted red pepper?

[Diana]

good idea. Also might help me to do two or three spice dumps through the cooking, as I do with my long cooked chili

[chowser]

I agree about the zucchini, plus it can add a little bitterness. If you're up for adding chickpeas and kidney beans, I make something along this line:

http://crockpot.cdkitchen.com/recipes...

It's really good, especially in the winter.

[goodhealthgourmet]

eggplant's probably more likely to add bitterness than zucchini, no?

regardless, there's so much water in all those veggies, you really should sauté them first to deepen the flavor & evaporate some of the moisture. just tossing everything in raw pretty much guarantees that everything will steam in its own water, plus you're adding other liquids like wine, acid, the tomato juices...sounds pretty soggy to me.

i'd also toss in some capers, and if you like heat, some crushed red chili flakes for a little kick.

right before you serve it, stir in some chopped or torn fresh basil to brighten the flavor.

[Diana]

Of course, sauteeing all the veggies first sort of negates the convenience of using a crock pot!

[goodhealthgourmet]

i know, sorry. it just makes such a difference!

maybe as an alternative you can try using the traditional 'salt & drain' method on the eggplant & zucchini to draw out some of the excess moisture before putting them in the pot. it may increase your prep time a little, but at least it doesn't require additional heat/cooking.

[Anne H]

Yeah, I would just saute the onion, if I was aiming for convenience. And the garlic. While you are chopping and assembling everything else. Throw the rest together in the crockpot, may need to leave the lid off for awhile at the end and evaporate some of the liquid. It'll be good, maybe not as amazing as if you sauteed everything, but very good. Did I say lemon juice -- at the end of course? And pepper, black or red.

[houndgirl]

Add some kalamata olives and capers!

[jr7732]

Would you sautee the eggplant first?

[southernitalian]

I never do. I put it all in raw. The crock pot takes care of it.

[scunge]

caponata .....tastes good and it stays fresh.....plenty of recipes I dont add garlic to mine some onion but no garlic

[Diana]

no, just throw it in all raw... The zuccini sounds like a good idea!

[rudeboy]

You could switch the oil with butter - butter and tomatoes are yummy....

[southernitalian]

I do something like that in my crock pot. I also add zucchini, onions and mushrooms. I use red wine or sometimes some balsamic vinegar. I live on this stuff when I need to lose a few pounds. Works every time.

[Diana]

what kind of red do you use?

[southernitalian]

Usually whatever is open in my kitchen!