Spicy Eggplant Zucchini Relish

It's zucchini season! I think? Is that why they're so cheap in the grocery these days?

This evening I splurged on some fancy bread from my favorite neighborhood bakery (big fan of the bakery; not the restaurant) and decided to experiment with a spicy condiment. My thought was a hybrid of ratatouille, zaalouk, and eggplant caviar, with some smoky chipotle for umami and just enough spicy kick to warrant a dollop of yogurt on top. Because there must always, always be a dollop of yogurt on top.

It only just occurs to me that I've never posted ratatouille on this blog. I made an amazing rendition some months ago from one of Ottolenghi's cookbooks -- an unusual version that gets pan-roasted and caramelized -- but I never photographed it. Some part of me fears that, since no real life ratatouille can surpass this, the standards are unbearably high.

Spicy Eggplant Zucchini Relish
for your delectation

Ingredients
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
3 zucchini, cubed
1 large eggplant, cubed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
spoonful of broth
olive oil
coriander, paprika, cumin (just a tiny dash)
1/4 to 1/2 of a chipotle pepper (from the can)
lemon or lime juice to taste
salt, pepper to taste
minced cilantro on top
(optional: a dash of honey)

Note: I think turmeric would be good in here, but I'm fresh out. In retrospect, too, I might add a scoop of tahini.

One of my special-est birthday presents: a handmade ceramic bowl.
It pays to have artsy friends.

Method
Chop up the chopped stuff. Sauté onion in olive oil until golden. Add spices, more oil, eggplant, zucchini, and garlic. Cook down, stirring frequently. Add chipotle, broth, and honey if you like sweet & spicy. Cover and simmer until cooked way down. Stir often enough that relish does not burn. Cook until eggplant and zucchini pieces are falling apart into a nearly indiscernible mush; at a certain point, remove the lid and cook off some of the liquid. Remove from heat. Add more salt and pepper to taste, fresh lime/lemon juice, and top with cilantro. Serve with your favorite carbs.

The way so many eggplant adventures begin.

Cilantro a little droopy; feels left out?

Eggplants and spices and oil and zucchinis, just before the cooking begins.

Simmered about 7 minutes. Still a bit raw.

... simmer down now. (ca. 15 minutes)

...and mush. Around 20-30 minutes of mushifying. But the longer you cook it, the better it tastes. Keep it going.

Recommended complements:
feta
goat cheese
seeded crackers
individually wrapped hanks of injera from your freezer (what, you don't have those?)
tapenade
a cheap, crappy wine with a beautiful label that you thought would taste good*

A little bread cave.

*The wine, not the label. Smart alecks of the world, I'm one step ahead of you.