Eggplant Stew with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Chickpeas

Another delicious recipe from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison!  My husband was craving chili but I had all of these delicious eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes to use so I opened up the trusty cookbook and found this delicious idea!  It was perfect!  Tasty, easy, and satisfied my man's chili craving!  Success!  I served it over wild rice, but it would also be delicious over bulgar or farro as well!

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 lbs eggplant
6 Tbs olive oil
1 large red onion, diced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tsp paprika
2 plump garlic cloves, diced
2 Tbs tomato paste
5 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 C coarsely chopped parsley

Procedure

Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes.  Heat 1/4 C olive oil in a wide skillet over high heat until hazy.  Add the eggplant and stir to distribute the oil.  Cook, turning the pieces every few minutes, until golden, about 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven or large pot on medium high heat.  Add the onion, pepper, and paprika and saute until the onion is lightly browned around the edges, adding the garlic towards the end.  Stir in the tomato paste, fry it for a minute, then moisten with a few tablespoons water and scrape up the juices from the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomatoes, eggplant, chickpeas, 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Lower the heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.