[CH] The Glorious Foods Of Greece

R.Solarion - Apollonius.Net (damis@apollonius.net)
Fri, 20 Apr 2001 12:38:11 -0600 

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Here is a recipe that appeared in this week's food section of The Dallas
Morning News.  Personally I would add some lemon juice, chopped fresh
oregano, lots of minced garlic and at least a tablespoon of cayenne pepper
-- and probably more olive oil, since eggplant is notorious for soaking up
a lot of olive oil.  There is an old Arab proverb in North Africa that says
that one can tell how rich a man is by how much olive oil he puts on his
eggplant.

This is a most unusual recipe, which is my main reason for passing it
along.  Buon Appetito!  Roberto

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CHICKEN SIMMERED WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT

Ingredients

10-12 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
1 chicken (2.5-3 pounds, kilo-plus), cut into serving pieces
3 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
   (or 1 cup canned tomatoes, drained)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 large eggplants (about 3 pounds total)

Procedure

Heat 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of the olive oil in a large, wide pot over
medium-high heat and cook the chicken until golden all over.  Reduce the
heat to medium and add the tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and
simmer, covered for about 5-8 minutes, then add enough water to come
halfway up the chicken.  Keep the heat on low and simmer, covered, for
about 30 minutes.

While the chicken is simmering, roast the eggplants : Puncture them in
several places and place each of them over a low flame on top of the stove
or under the broiler on a sheet pan.  Roast them, turning, until their
skins are charred and the eggplants are soft on all sides.  Remove from the
heat and place on a large cutting board to cool until they can be handled.
Cut away the stems of the eggplants, slit open the skins vertically,
discard as much of the seeds as possible and remove the pulp, keeping it as
intact as possible.  Chop the pulp into chunks.  The whole process should
take about 30 minutes.

As soon as you are done, place the eggplant chunks in the pot with the
chicken, distributing the pieces evenly.  The chicken should be about
halfway done.  Add the remaining 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil and a little
water if necessary to keep the contents moist.  Adjust the seasoning.
[Here is where I would add the lemon juice, oregano, garlic and
cayenne.--RS]  Simmer over low heat until most of the liquid has been
absorbed, the sauce is thick and unctuous and the chicken is tender, about
another 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat, let cool slightly and serve.
Makes 4 servings.