On the Table: Eggplant and Peaches

I adore peaches and have been trying to incorporate them into my cooking recently, rather than just eating them plain (though there is nothing wrong with eating them plain!).  I had half an eggplant in the fridge yesterday, so I decided to see how eggplant and peaches would work together.  I figured balsamic vinegar and cinnamon both work well with eggplant and peaches, so why not throw all four together?  They turned into a really yummy (and easy!) side dish.  In the time it took to bake some chicken breasts, it was all done!  To prepare:

Peel and dice up half an eggplant and one ripe peach.  I cut them into about one inch pieces.

Put a medium-sized pot (with a lid) over medium heat, and thinly coat the bottom of the pot with canola oil.  When the oil gets hot, add in the eggplant.  Cook, stirring often, until the eggplant starts to get translucent.

Add chicken stock to the pot, to come about halfway up the eggplant.  Add in the peaches.

Add into the pot a splash of balsamic vinegar, a dash of cinnamon, and salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Allow the liquid to come to a simmer, then cover the pot and turn down the heat, so the liquid will just continue to simmer.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  Remove the lid from the pot and cook, stirring often, for about 5-10 more minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

I served this dish as a side, with a baked chicken breast that had been marinated in caribbean jerk marinade, and rice.  I was also thinking that if you wanted to get really fancy, you could puree the eggplant and peaches, then put it through a strainer to get out the seeds and such.  I like the chunky texture though!

Enjoy!