Eggplant Salad

Gail from Manorville has requested a recipe for Eggplant Salad. There are many different recipes, but coming from an Italian family, I will post our family recipe. It has a complex flavor, but is very simple to prepare. This is perfect timing too because my mom always makes this recipe for our holiday meals...she puts it out with the appetizers and antipasto..mmmm. I actually had to call Mom to make sure I had all the ingredients listed! Left out the onions...thanks Mom! :-) Mom's Eggplant Salad 1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped or diced (note: I never salt and drain my eggplant; in our family, if the eggplant didn't have "bite" to it, then it wasn't eggplant. Feel free to do as you wish) Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 stalks celery - chopped 1 small - medium onion - sliced thin 2 cloves garlic -chopped (the original recipe does not call for garlic....but I put it in just about everything except desserts) 1 TBSP capers 2 TBSP sugar (or to taste) 1 -6 oz can tomato paste Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar Saute the celery and onion (and garlic) in the olive oil. Next add the capers and then the eggplant. Saute until eggplant is tender...should only take a few minutes. Add in the tomato paste, sugar and vinegar and mix well. At this point, I adjust the vinegar and sugar to taste. The final recipe should have a sweet but tart flavor. In my household growing up, we never used measurements in our recipes, everything was done by judgement. My mom always tells me, "just use your judgement." Ditto here. The eggplant salad should be moist, but not soupy. It should hold together well when picked up with a spoon or fork. This is our recipe. Experiment with it and create your own. Sometimes I add olives too. Wow...now I'm hungry! Eggplant salad and a glass of red wine. That's all I need. Enjoy!