I came up with this dish for a media event promoting olives from Western Greece. I added lots of these to an aubergine dish which I enriched with onions cooked in aromats, a kind of Imam Bayildi meeting Caponata. Everyone loved it!
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 2 large onions, finely sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large aubergine, diced
- 5 stems of celery, thinly sliced
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 50ml (a few tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 4-5 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 heaped tbsp capers in brine, drained
- A handful of Kalamata olives, stoned and sliced
- A handful of small black raisins or sultanas, approx.50g
- A small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Put the aubergine in a colander and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Squeeze to extract as much water as possible.
Heat 1/3 of the olive oil in frying pan and add the sliced celery. Cook until brown. Using a slotted spoon transfer to a plate. Add some more oil and fry the aubergine cubes in batches, topping up with olive oil each time until brown and tender. Transfer onto the plate with the celery.
Add the remaining oil into the pan and cook the sliced onions covered on low heat with the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and star anise until very well caramelized. This could take 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes to the cooked onion, raisins and sugar and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until thickened. Add vinegar, stir and cook a couple more minutes. Add the capers, olives, aubergine, celery and parsley. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Adjust acidity by addling a little more vinegar if necessary and serve sprinkled with a little more parsley.