This was told to my Cousin Amy (Ory) Tassin by my Aunt Rose Mary “Bootsie” Poirrier.
Ingredients:
2 medium Eggplants
4 stalks Celery
3 Onions, thinly sliced or finely chopped
1 large can (28 oz.) Tomato Puree
2 tbsp Capers, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Pine Nuts
½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
LOTS of good Olive Oil
12 black Italian Olives, chopped
Instructions:
Peel Eggplant (Bootsie doesn’t do this all the time) and slice into 1” slices. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 1 hr. Dice celery and parboil for 2 minutes. Drain. Measure out 1 cup and set aside. Rinse eggplant really well and pat dry with paper towels. Sauté eggplant in 1 cup olive oil for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove eggplant from oil. Keep the oil. In the same skillet, sauté the onion until soft but not browned. Add celery, tomato puree and simmer 15 minutes. Add the capers, olives, and pine nuts plus ½ tsp salt and black pepper. Heat the red wine vinegar and dissolve the sugar. Mix all the ingredients and simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Sauce should be dark, thick, and sweet/sour, pungent. Serve with bread, crackers, etc.
Kitchen on Lowerline: Gammy, Gampy, & Michael Poirrier