Berenjenas a la Veracruzana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide clay cazuela or heavy 12-inch skillet
• •Comal for warming corn tortillas
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Clean kitchen towel for drying salted eggplant

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the eggplant

   Lay the eggplant half-moons on a tray and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Let them sit for 25 minutes, until beads of moisture show on the cut sides. Pat them dry with a clean towel. This is not fussiness. Eggplant holds water, and water thins the sauce. The salting gives you flesh that browns and then drinks the Veracruzana sauce properly.

2. 2

   Brown the eggplant

   Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a wide clay cazuela or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the eggplant in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the cut faces turn golden and the edges soften. Add a little more oil only if the pan goes dry. Move the browned pieces to a plate. Do not cook them through yet. They finish in the sauce.

   Crowd the pan and the eggplant steams. Give it space. Golden edges are flavor, pale wet eggplant is just a chore.
3. 3

   Start the sofrito

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil to the cazuela, then add the sliced onion. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens and turns sweet but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Veracruzana sauce begins gently. Burned garlic will bully the tomato.

4. 4

   Cook the tomato

   Add the chopped jitomate and tomato paste. Stir well, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the cazuela. Cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tomato collapses, the juices reduce, and the oil begins to show at the edges. That little shine tells you the sauce has body. Watery tomato sauce is not Veracruzana.

5. 5

   Season Veracruzana

   Add the bay leaves, Mexican oregano, thyme, black pepper, green olives, capers, sliced chile jalapeno en escabeche, escabeche vinegar, and raisins if using. Stir and taste before adding more salt. The olives, capers, and pickled jalapenos already bring salt. Let the sauce simmer for 8 minutes so the sharp edges settle into the tomato.

6. 6

   Stew the eggplant

   Nestle the browned eggplant into the sauce in a single generous layer, spooning sauce over the top. Add up to 1/2 cup water or light vegetable broth if the cazuela looks dry. Cover and simmer over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the eggplant is tender but still holds its shape. Shake the cazuela once or twice instead of stirring hard. Berenjena breaks when you bully it.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and let the cazuela rest for 10 minutes. The eggplant will keep absorbing the sauce as it sits. Remove the bay leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature with hoja santa or cilantro if using, warm corn tortillas, and black beans. This is better after a rest and better again the next day. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use ripe jitomate de bola when the market has them. If the tomatoes are pale and hard, use good canned whole tomatoes instead. That is a compromise, not an upgrade, but bad fresh tomatoes make bad sauce.
• •The chile here is chile jalapeno en escabeche. Not chile ancho, not chipotle, not a handful of random dried chiles. Veracruzana sauce needs the pickled bite that cuts through the tomato and olive.
• •Rinse the capers if they are packed in strong brine. You want their sharpness, not a mouthful of salt.
• •Olive oil belongs in this dish because Veracruz is a port cuisine with a Spanish pantry. La manteca es el sabor in many dishes, but not every dish needs manteca. Saber cocinar es saber elegir.
• •Serve with black beans, not pinto beans. Pinto belongs more to the north. Veracruz kitchens know frijol negro.

Advance Preparation

• •The finished berenjenas keep refrigerated for 4 days. The flavor deepens as the eggplant absorbs the tomato, olive, caper, and jalapeno.
• •You can salt and brown the eggplant up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate it covered, then add it to the hot sauce and simmer until tender.
• •The Veracruzana sauce can be made 2 days ahead without the eggplant. Reheat it gently before adding the browned eggplant so the vegetable does not turn mushy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)