Melançon Enterprises • a multidivision multinational since 1980

First, make the garlic oil a few days in advance. Halve cloves of a head of garlic and put in a 25 or so fluid ounce bottle of olive oil.

One 28 oz can of tomato crushed (or diced or puree), one whole tomato, three tomato sauces. (All 28 ounce cans.)

Spices first. Oregano, basil, paprika. And I also threw in a bay leaf. Use sugar like a spice.

Cut up green peppers in about quarter to half-inch, put directly in.

You have to sauté the mushrooms first.

the mushrooms shrink, get brown

eggplant breaks down and it becomes a tomato eggplant sauce.

You use a ton of oil.

Wait until the eggplant browns on both sides.

It takes forever.

You can give up if it never browns. The point

Turn the heat up a little on the sauces. Should boil a bit.

The next thing I do is lay the eggplants on top, and let it sit while

Little tip to not burn yourself with the hot oil putting the new eggplant in: balance it on the spoon and lower it in slowly. (Also: wear clothes.)

And the eggplant disintegrates

Notes: I didn't know how to use fresh oregano so I chopped it up, left out the stems, and put it in.

The non-vegan version of this does the same eggplant-like process for chicken.

I used to have a chicken caciatori and an eggplant sauce recipes and I'd go back and forth.