Food Recipes Side Dishes Vegetable Side Dishes Stewed Eggplant with Peppers and Tomatoes Silky eggplant slices are topped with tender tomatoes, bell pepper, and dollops of labneh in this peak-summer stunner. By Gia Rokashvili Gia Rokashvili Gia Rokashvili is the chef at Pheasant’s Tears restaurant in Sighnaghi, Georgia, where his cooking celebrates the ingredients and culinary traditions of his native Kakheti. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 24, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Morgan Hunt Ward / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe The dish highlights the best of late-summer produce, including eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers. Frying the eggplant slices in unrefined sunflower oil leaves them with a nutty flavor.Large dollops of creamy labneh bring a subtle tanginess to contrast the richness of the eggplant and stewed vegetables. One of my favorite restaurants in the world is approximately 6,000 miles away from where I live. In the Republic of Georgia, in the heart of the famed wine region of Kakheti in the country’s east, in the walled medieval city of Sighnaghi, just off the cobblestone-lined street that descends, vertiginously, into the town square, is Pheasant’s Tears, a natural wine bar and restaurant. Pheasant’s Tears restaurant was founded by the winery of the same name, which was one of the first to bring traditional Georgian wine (made using skin contact and fermented in clay vessels called qvevri) to the United States, helping to pave the way for the many that followed. Last summer, on a family trip to Georgia, I made a visit, intending to try all of the wines on offer, as well as everything on chef Gia Rokashvili’s market-driven menu. I quickly ran into trouble when I ordered his stewed eggplant. After one forkful, all thoughts of eating anything else left my head. The dish was simple but packed with flavor: tender, caramelized eggplant topped with sweet peppers, tomatoes, and onions, that had all cooked down to melting softness in rich, fragrant toasted sunflower oil. The vegetables were offset with a bright, tart, housemade labneh and fresh herbs. I ordered it three times during my week in Sighnaghi. And after I got home, Pheasant’s Tears owner Ketevan Mindorashvili sent me the recipe — a delicious souvenir to tide me over until I return. — Karen Shimizu What is unrefined sunflower oil? Unrefined sunflower oil has a rich, nutty flavor that complements the eggplant nicely. Find it at specialty grocery stores or online at freshpressfarms.com. Be sure to use unrefined sunflower oil, which is extracted without heat, preserving its nutty flavor, as opposed to refined sunflower oil which has a more neutral flavor. If you don’t have sunflower oil on hand, you can substitute with extra virgin olive oil. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen For the best texture, after slicing the eggplant discard the two rounded end pieces, which are mostly covered in tough skin.If you don’t like cilantro, substitute with fresh flat leaf parsley or additional basil. Serve on its own or with warm pita or toasted sourdough. Suggested pairing Pair this stunning dish with an equally exciting orange wine from Georgia, such as Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli Tibaani. This recipe was developed by Gia Rokashvili; the text was written by Paige Grandjean and Karen Shimizu. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings 6 garlic cloves, divided 1 globe eggplant (about 14 ounces) 1/3 cup unrefined sunflower oil or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed 2 rosemary sprigs 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup) 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 1 cup) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh purple and/or Italian basil, plus leaves for garnish 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for garnish 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze 1 tablespoon tahini 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Labneh or plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, for serving Directions Smash 3 garlic cloves, and grate remaining 3 garlic cloves; set aside separately. Trim stem end of eggplant; cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices, discarding the 2 round end slices. Heat sunflower oil, rosemary, and smashed garlic in a large skillet over medium until rosemary and garlic sizzle and are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary and garlic. Transfer 3 tablespoons infused oil to a small heatproof bowl, reserving remaining infused oil in skillet. Fry half of the eggplant slices in remaining oil in skillet over medium, turning occasionally, until very tender and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving platter; sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add reserved 3 tablespoons infused oil to skillet. Repeat frying process with remaining eggplant slices; transfer to platter, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside. Reserve any leftover infused oil in skillet. Return skillet to heat over medium; add up to 1 tablespoon additional sunflower oil if skillet is dry. Add bell pepper and onion; cook, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in basil, cilantro, coriander, 2 teaspoons grated garlic, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat. Sprinkle eggplant slices with remaining grated garlic (about 1 teaspoon). Drizzle with balsamic glaze and tahini. Spoon tomato mixture over top, and drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with basil and cilantro leaves. Serve with large dollops of labneh. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.