Spicy Eggplant and Tomato Salad/Jam

My husband is obsessed with books and recently got Paula Wolfert's World of Food in the mail.  I sat down and marked a bunch of recipes to work through, but with the farmstand season still in full swing, decided to start out with recipes that would use the lovely eggplants and other veggies in my produce drawer.

This seems like more of a jam to me, and indeed we had it on crusty bread, and it was pleasant change from our obsession with fresh bruschetta!

2lb eggplant
course salt
olive oil
1 lb tomato (peeled and seeded or 2 cans chopped tomatoes)
pinch sugar
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Remove top and bottom of each eggplant, and strip 3-4 narrow stripes off of skin.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices, salt, and leave to drain for at least an hour

2.  Heat oil in seasoned black skillet.  Fry egg plant until golden brown on each side and drain on paper towel.  Save oil to resuse

3.  Return 3 Tbsp oil to skillet and reheat.  Add tomatoes and salt, and fry them (medium for 5 minutes).  Add the sugar if too acidic

4. Mash eggplant with garlic and spices.  Add to skillet with tomatoes and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.  Continue turning in pan to help moisture evaporate.

5.  When thick, remove from heat and fold in lemon juice.  Keep well covered and refridgerate... serve at room temp.