UNCLE JOE

Since I started this blog a couple of months ago, I have talked about my husband Irwin: the love of my life, a fantastic human being, and an all-around good guy.  Well, today I would like to talk about my favorite uncle.  Everyone has one; an uncle who stands heads and tails above the rest of them; the one who stand out more than then others, and in all ways made his presence known.

Well I had one of those and his name was Joseph, affectionately known as Uncle Joe.  Uncle Joe was also a great guy; he was a no-nonsense, "stand up for what you believe in," straightforward kind of a guy.  He also had a fantastic sense of humor.  He loved to joke, kid around, and have a great time.  You could always count on him to pull the first practical joke at a family gathering and was generally the life of the party. Once he got started there was no stopping him.  He was also a good listener; no matter what the problem was he always made time to listen and then tell you what you should do about the problem (his advice was always free).  If you went to him for advice and he gave it to you, you had better take it or not come back again.

His capacity to love was immeasurable, just as the size of his heart.  Irwin and Uncle Joe had a lot in common; both were stand-up guys, and each one in his own way was a shining star. Both had an enormous amount of love to share with everyone who crossed their paths.  I guess that is why I loved both of them so much.

Unlike Irwin, Uncle Joe loved to cook and be in a kitchen. He was always trying to come up with some new recipe that would be a huge hit.  He was actually quite good at it.  He loved to try new things and put whatever he had in the pantry together to make a meal.  He was always trying new things.  He had a few misses, but generally they were a hit.  He had a talent for putting different flavors together that seemed to work.  I am sure that is where I get my talent for putting combinations together that work well.  He was one of the first people who recognized my talent when it came to food.  I think Irwin was the first and he was the second.  No matter who was first or second both encouraged me.

This past year I have been cleaning out my home, trying to get rid of the clutter, when I came across two notebooks in Uncle Joe’s handwriting which contained all his favorite recipes.  These books are priceless; they contain many of my family’s favorite recipes, which he used throughout the years.  I know a few people who would kill for these two books, but I think I am going to hold on to them for a while longer.  I happen to have gotten them from a very good friend of his years ago and I just forgot I had them. Today I am going to post one of the recipes he made all the time.  He was very proud of this recipe because he figured out himself how to make the different ingredients works together to come up with a winning combination.  So here’s one of Uncle Joe’s favorites!

UNCLE JOE’S EGGPLANT CAPONATA

INGREDIENTS 

1 LARGE EGGPLANT 1 ½ LBS

½ CUP PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

2 ½ CUPS SLICED ONION

1 CUP DICED CELERY

¼ CUP RED WINE VINEGAR

2 CANS (8OZ SIZE) TOMATO SAUCE

2 TABLESPOONS DRAINED CAPERS

½ TEASPOON SALT

DASH PEPPER

12 PITTED RIPE BLACK OLIVES (CUT IN SLIVERS)

DIRECTIONS

 Wash eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes. Add ½-cup hot oil in large skillet, saute eggplant until tender and golden brown.

Remove eggplant and set aside.  In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons, and saute onion and celery until tender about 5 minutes.

Return eggplant to skillet.  Stir in tomato sauce.  Bring to boiling point.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered 15 minutes.

Add vinegar, sugar, capers, salt, pepper and olives.  Simmer covered and stir occasionally, 20 minutes or longer.  Refrigerate eggplant mixture covered overnight.