Eggplant Rice & Soup

I'm not sure why the Africans named this dish Eggplant Rice and Soup, or if that is the Americanized version of the name. It does indeed have eggplant and rice, but it is not soup. I would have named it Eggplant Sauce & Rice, but nobody asked me.

My husband spent two years as a missionary in The Gambia many years ago. He came away several things that have lasted, including a knowledge of the Wolof language and a love for African food. His favorite is Domadah (sp?), a peanut butter sauce for rice. Another is Eggplant Rice & Soup. (Note: you can replace the "eggplant" with pumpkin, cabbage or various other vegetables and have essentially the same dish.) Since eggplant was one of the veges harvested in abundance prior to the predicted freeze last week, supper last night was eggplant rice & soup. It's a delicious and more nutritious alternative to Eggplant Parmesan, the only other eggplant recipe I know. So for those of you looking for a new way to eat your pre-freeze harvest, here's the recipe:

1 lb red meat (I use either ground beef or stew meat chopped into little pieces)
1 medium onion
1 medium eggplant, chopped into small cubes
3 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 cup water
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup catsup
2 cups cooked Jasmine rice

Brown the meat, onions and eggplant in a skillet. Pour in the bouillon water and simmer until the eggplant is tender. Mash the cooked eggplant (I just smash it up with the spoon). Add the salsa and catsup. Simmer for 30 minutes while the rice cooks, adding water as necessary to achieve a thickened sauce consistency. Serve over rice. Serves 4.