Ginger eggplant with Jerusalem artichoke and quinoa

Sunday is usually a day for not taking on big projects, but this Sunday was even more so than usual. We were in the clouds. Literally. Living in a village nestled up against the shoulder of the eastern Pyrenees with a view down the valley toward catalan country, the Roussillon plain, and the Sea, we are often in the clouds this time of year. Warm air from the Sea meets the cool air in the mountains, et voila! So we stayed close to the hearth and cooked up a good repast for the noon meal, using groceries from the Weekly Pannier and from the Carrefour just up the road.

This version of the basic braised eggplant focuses on the flavor of fresh ginger root. We started with a braising pot filled with a chopped onion, two eggplants diced into small pieces, and a good chunk of ginger root chopped finely. We let this simmer slowly until the eggplant softened. For some reason, these eggplants were a bit dry, so we added a little water.

(more to come)