Chunky Ratatouille Sauce

This recipe comes from Neal Barnard's The Cancer Survivor's Guide.  Serve over pasta shells, brown rice, or your favorite whole grain.  I'm trying it over pearl barley tonight, since I have an enormous amount in my pantry. 

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup red wine or vegetable broth
2 small onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. Soak the eggplant chunks in salted water for 10 minutes.  Drain, rinse, and drain again.

2. Heat 1/4 cup of the wine in a nonstick skillet.  Add the onions, celery, and garlic, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally and adding more wine if the vegetables start to stick.

3. When the onions and celery are soft, add the eggplant and 1/4 cup of the water. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft. Add more water as needed to keep the mixture from drying out.

4. Stir in the mushrooms, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, thyme, pepper, and the remaining 1/4 cup of wine and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator, leftover Chunky Ratatouille Sauce will keep for up to 4 days.