My mom always made Ikra, probably as a way to get my dad and me to eat eggplant. Didn't matter, it is delicious!

Ikra (pronounced "eek-RAH") is a Ukranian dish and it means "mock caviar." It is a poor man's caviar, made from eggplant, tomatoes and onions and is served similar to a British chutney, or spread. The proper way to eat it is cold, spread on black bread and followed by shots of icy vodka, according to Mama Vicky.

Well, we preferred it hot, spread on our meatloaf or steak or dipped into with taco chips which made her eyes roll, but she tolerated it. Course she didn't drink vodka either, but still.....she's definitely Old World.

Anyway, I decided to make it again and continue my adventure in the Foods of the World. Here's what you need:

Meanwhile, dice up the onions really small, almost minced - this is a key part.

In a large sauce pan, skillet or pot (do not use cast iron) melt 3 tablespoons butter and a generous splash of olive oil. Then over medium heat (no hotter - this is critical), gently caramelize the onions until they are golden, and then add the diced tomatoes.

I asked Mom what they did before ketchup, and she said they just added sugar to tomato paste, but everyone quickly went to ketchup since it has the perfect balance of sugar and tomato for the recipe. Let's hear it for yet another American invention!

Anyway, about 10 to 15 minutes later, add the eggplant and 2 good dollops of tomato paste; then another 1/4 cup of ketchup, kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste and some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or tabasco-type sauce, to your taste. Don't worry, the heat goes away and the final result is not hot.

Stir-fry all of this over medium heat, stirring every couple minutes or so. It is important that you keep the heat at medium. This is the key - time and patience are required to let all the flavors meld together and the vegetables break down. The end result will be a thick paste with all the tomatoes melded into the sauce. Be patient, stir often and do not let burn.

After about 30 minutes over medium heat, a lot of liquid has evaporated, which is what we want. It's getting thick and you will see the color changing from red to maroon. When you stir, you'll notice a film caramelizing to the bottom of the pan. Scrape that up and mix it in with the ikra - that's where the flavour comes from! Be careful and make sure that it doesn't burn. After another 30 minutes, you're going to have to be stirring almost constantly as it thickens, about once every minute or so. You are looking to end up with a wonderful, thick paste with a nice, dark, maroon color, which means it is almost ready! Keep stir-frying until all is a paste, scrape up the golden stuff sticking to the bottom of the pan and mix it in well. The sauce will be very heavy on the spoon at this point.

After probably an hour and fifteen minutes, the entire pan will reduce to fill a good-sized serving bowl and the flavors and color will be beautiful. There's no fixed time - you have to go by the dark maroon color, the thickness of the ikra and the caramelization at the bottom of the pan; this recipe is all about patience and the love of cooking.

Serve this either cold or hot, with or on top of just about anything you want: dark bread, a baguette, corn chips, meatloaf, steak - the sky is the limit.

I hope you all give it a try - you'll be in for a tasty surprise.

This one is on deck - we bought two eggplants the other day, and assuming they are still good when I get home from work, I'll give it a try.