One of the dangers of moving around the world is falling in love with convenience food that you can’t find in your next home; this recipe is borne from that. Europe has an astounding array of canned vegetable dishes that are unlike anything you can find in North America. I developed this recipe as a way to replicate my favourite one made by the french brand Cassegrain. I would always keep a can in my cupboard for when I needed a quick but satisfying lunch with a piece of crusty bread or as a side dish. The cooked eggplant and rich, umami-filled tomato sauce never failed to please. Now, whenever I find beautiful eggplants I cook up a pot of this easy replica and keep it in the freezer for those days that I don’t feel like cooking, and it always hits the spot.

Approx. 600g // 2 large eggplants
15ml // 1 tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for oiling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1g // 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
55g //4 tbsp tomato paste
250 ml // 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Preheat an oven to 400ºf (205ºc). Remove the eggplant stems and cut them in half lengthwise. Line a baking tray with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Liberally oil the eggplants on all sides with olive oil, then place cut side down on the prepared tray.

Roast for 30 minutes until the flesh is soft but hasn’t collapsed. Pull eggplants out of the oven and let them cool until you can easily handle them without burning yourself. Cut them into cubes, and put them aside.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large lidded pot on medium heat, and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Sautée until softened and starting to go translucent. Add the garlic and Herbes de Provence, and gently cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add tomato paste and water and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add in the cubed eggplant and cook on low for 10-15 minutes with the lid on, gently stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom. Season with salt to taste. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes until thick and flavoursome.