Parboil the eggplant for about thirty minutes. Take out of the boiling water and let them cool slightly. Then skin and cut into pieces half an inch square. Chop two onions very fine. Take one tablespoonful of butter, and brown the onion in it. As it browns, add tomatoes, chopped fine. Add the square inch of ham, chopped very fine. Add then two cloves of garlic, minced very fine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer for three or four minutes, and then add the Eggplant. Let cook, smothering slowly and well, keeping tightly covered, and stirring often to prevent burning. Season again to taste. After it has cooked for half an hour, serve very hot. This is a splendid dish, and was the first production of a Creole cuisi-niere.