Broiled Eggplant with Walnut Sauce

Walnut sauce goes beautifully with these thick rounds of eggplant. The eggplant can be either broiled or fried. Broiling takes a little less oil, but the skins tend to get a little too crisp. I usually fry them when I’m making just a few and broil them when making a lot. If you serve this as a first course, one slice of eggplant per person should be enough. If available, a garnish of bronze fennel leaves would be ideal, picking up the flavor of the fennel seeds and the rich purple of the sk