Mala's eggplant recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Puncture eggplant twice on one side.

3. Fill the holes with slices of garlic.

4. Wrap the eggplant in foil.

5. Put in oven until soft. Check after 45 minutes.

6. Cut out the stem from a tomato and insert a few drops of olive oil into the hole.

7. Put the tomato in a separate baking dish and put in oven when the eggplant has been in for 30 minutes.

8. When the eggplant is soft, remove eggplant and tomato from oven and cool.

9. Remove the foil and skin the eggplant.

10. Skin the tomato and put in the same bowl with the eggplant.

11. Sauté one or two chopped onions in a pan with olive oil.

12. Add chili powder if desired, and green herbs such as thyme or basel.

13. Add onions to eggplant and tomato.

14. Salt and pepper to taste.

15. Crush everything with a fork and mix into a soft paste.

16. Add more olive oil if needed.

17. Serve cold or reheat.

Quick version: Cook eggplant in microwave, (without foil!) ten minutes on one side, eight minutes on the other. Cook tomato in microwave for three minutes.