<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>I was finally able to access Paula Wolfert's site
(http://www.paula-wolfert.com/ <A HREF="http://www.paula-wolfert.com/">Click
here: Welcome to Paula Wolfert's Web Site</A> ) today and she has the
following two aubergine/eggplant recipes. Though not Syrian, they sound good,
and as usual, her tips are most helpful.

http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/caviar.html <A
HREF="http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/caviar.html">Click here: Recipe:
Mediterranean Caviar</A>

Mediterranean Caviar

The following spread, served cool on toasted slices of French bread, is a
combination of eggplant caviar and the famous samfaina of Catalonia. Samfaina
is a ratatouille-style garnish of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and eggplant
cooked down to a marmalade and used to accompany fish, poultry, and meat.
Though its ingredients are classically Mediterranean, a really first-rate
samfaina is not easy to make. The Catalan food commentator Josef Pla has
called it "a dish of optimism." Made properly in autumn, when its component
vegetables are in a state of absolute perfection, it becomes a truly great
thing-- great enough, to paraphrase Pla, to give one optimism about the
possibility of perfection on this earth.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups

1 eggplant (1 1/4 pounds) firm, smooth-skinned
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 large, fleshy sweet red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small
squares
1 small green bell pepper, cored, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small cubes
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1/2 cup drained canned plum
tomatoes, seeds discarded
3 garlic cloves, minced 2 flat anchovy fillets, drained and crushed with a
fork
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the eggplant; brush it with 1
tablespoon of the olive oil, and place it in a baking dish. Bake 40 minutes,
turning midway. Place the peppers (red and green) in a baking dish and set
in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, stirring them midway, too.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over low heat in a heavy
skillet; add the onion and 3 tablespoons of water, and cook, stirring , for
10 minutes. Add the tomato and cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Add
the baked peppers and the garlic, and cook over a low heat, stirring, until
the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Fold in the anchovies and cook 1 to
2 minutes. Leave the mixture in the skillet off the heat.

3. Remove the eggplant when it is completely soft and the skin is blistery.
Scrape the flesh from the skin (this is very easy if you first split the
cooked eggplant lengthwise while still hot, then allow it to cool for 10
minutes under a kitchen towel). Discard any hard seeds and the skin. (See
note.)

4. On a wooden work surface, mash the eggplant with a wooden spoon until
smooth. At the same time work in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the eggplant, salt, and pepper to the other vegetables. Fry, constantly
stirring, until all the liquid evaporates and there are only oil and
vegetables left, about 15 minutes. Stir carefully to avoid scorching but be
sure to allow the mixture to become somewhat dark in color. Season to taste.
Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until you are ready to serve.
Return it to room temperature before serving.

Note to the Cook:
However carefully you select them, some eggplants will be extremely bitter.
After scraping off the baked skin, taste the flesh; if necessary squeeze the
warm pulp through the fingers to remove the bitter juices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/chop_liver.html <A
HREF="http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/chop_liver.html">Click here:
Recipe: "Chopped Liver" Made with Eggplant (Israel)</A>

"Chopped Liver" made with Eggplant (Israel)

"This dish was developed in the late forties, when there was hardly any
meat here and food was rationed," writes Israeli food writer, Dalia Lamdani,
in a letter to me from Tel Aviv. Dalia is describing the background of this
vegetarian "chopped liver" salad in which eggplant stands in for the liver.
She goes on:"The dish lost its popularity as the economy improved and nobody
wanted to remember the hard times. It reemerged in the nineties, and pops up
now in the most unlikely places----Arab restaurants, the deli corner of a
supermarket chain, even in the latest edition (1991) of the IDF (Israeli
Defense Forces) cookbook."

Some cooks have a talent for frying eggplant without needing to add more
oil to the pan. Others find they must keep adding oil, and so end up with a
heavy dish. Because frying really enhances the flavor of an eggplant salad,
I've devised a solution based on a method I learned years ago in Morocco: Fry
as many slices as possible with the amount of oil specified in the recipe;
when you run out of oil, steam the remaining slices, then crush all the
slices (fried and steamed) in the skillet, stirring constantly over medium
heat until all the moisture has evaporated and the oil is released. This way
all the eggplant is imbued with the same good fried-eggplant flavor. Since
you want coarse texture, please don't puree the slices in a food processor.


Serves 6 to 8 and makes 1 quart

2 1-pound eggplants, peeled and sliced
Coarse salt
Flour for dusting the eggplant slices
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3 hard-cooked eggs, shelled
Freshly ground pepper

1. Lightly salt the eggplants and leave to drain in a colander for 30
minutes.

2. Rinse, squeeze and dry the slices. Dust them with flour and fry in batches
in hot oil until brown on both sides. Drain eggplant in a colander. When you
need more oil, add the remaining eggplant to the skillet, cover and steam the
slices until tender. Return the fried slices to the skillet and over medium
heat, cook and gently crush all the eggplant with the back of a spatula until
the oil is released and the contents begin to fry. When the eggplant is
lightly browned but still retains some texture remove from the skillet and
let cool.

3. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water to the oil left in the
skillet and cook for 20 minutes. (Most of the water should have evaporated.)
Uncover and let the mixture slowly turn golden, stirring occasionally. Remove
from the heat and let cool.

4. In a wooden bowl, or on a wooden work-surface, combine the eggplant with
the onions and eggs, chopping until well blended. Season with salt and pepper
and serve chilled.
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>In a message dated 8/7/99 2:07:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
bramleyp@one.net.au writes:

> From: "Phil Bramley" <bramleyp@one.net.au>
>
> All this talk about 'Arabic' food makes me want to hop on a plane back to
> Damascus.
>
> The traditional 'mezze', served throughout Lebanon, Syria and many other
> Arabic countries, precedes a main course of mainly meat (kebabs), chicken
> (grilled and basted with olive oil), fish (grilled with olive oil). The
> 'mezze' is so sumptuous and varied that we generally could not make it to
> the main dish. Arak (Ouzo, Pastis) or beer is served with the 'mezze', if
> required.
>
> Essentially 'mezze' dishes are the starters to a main course. 'Mezze' is
> freshly prepared and left over food seems to be thrown out.
>
> There are 53 (possibly more) 'Mezze" dishes and they consist of different
> bowls of mainly vegetable dips and mixes and is usually accompanied by hot,
> flat bread.
>
> Tabbouleh, Kousa Mahshi, Tahini, Dolma, Teradot (Tahinia with walnuts) ,
> Humus (Chick Peas), Falafel, Artichoke hearts stewed in olive oil, Dukkah
> (mixture of nuts and spices in a dry, crushed but not powdered form,
usually
> eaten with bread and dipped in olive oil and many other dishes make up the
> 'mezze'. My wife has continued the Arabic cooking tradition in our
household
> since our return to OZ.
>
> The humble Aubergine or Egg Plant can be presented in many ways. Aubergine
> Puree, Aubergine Puree with Yoghurt, Fried Aubergines with Yoghurt,
> Aubergine slices with Onions and Tomatoes, Baba Ganoush or Moutabal
> (Aubergines with Tahini)
>
> For inspiration try Claudia Roden's "A new book of Middle Eastern Food'.
> Penguin, ISBN 0-14-046588-X or go out to the nearest Arabic restaurant in
> your neighbourhood for a taste sensation.
>
> Phil
>

Your Leporello catalogue makes my mouth water, Phil.

I agree, Claudia Roden's book is excellent. All her books are good, including
the latest, "The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York,"
where she writes about growing up in Egypt, as well as her earlier
"Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking: 50 Vegetarian and Seafood Dishes," and
"Traditional Moroccan Cooking: Recipes from Fez. "

On the northern Mediterranean (French division), a good writer is Mireille
Johnston, "The Cuisine of the Sun: Classical French Cooking from Nice and
Provence" and "The Cuisine of the Rose," both still available in paperback
(?); lots of great olive oil dishes here too. And of course, Elizabeth
David's "Mediterranean Food" is still a winner.

All best, Kaye
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>All this talk about 'Arabic' food makes me want to hop on a plane back to
Damascus.

The traditional 'mezze', served throughout Lebanon, Syria and many other
Arabic countries, precedes a main course of mainly meat (kebabs), chicken
(grilled and basted with olive oil), fish (grilled with olive oil). The
'mezze' is so sumptuous and varied that we generally could not make it to
the main dish. Arak (Ouzo, Pastis) or beer is served with the 'mezze', if
required.

Essentially 'mezze' dishes are the starters to a main course. 'Mezze' is
freshly prepared and left over food seems to be thrown out.

There are 53 (possibly more) 'Mezze" dishes and they consist of different
bowls of mainly vegetable dips and mixes and is usually accompanied by hot,
flat bread.

Tabbouleh, Kousa Mahshi, Tahini, Dolma, Teradot (Tahinia with walnuts) ,
Humus (Chick Peas), Falafel, Artichoke hearts stewed in olive oil, Dukkah
(mixture of nuts and spices in a dry, crushed but not powdered form, usually
eaten with bread and dipped in olive oil and many other dishes make up the
'mezze'. My wife has continued the Arabic cooking tradition in our household
since our return to OZ.

The humble Aubergine or Egg Plant can be presented in many ways. Aubergine
Puree, Aubergine Puree with Yoghurt, Fried Aubergines with Yoghurt,
Aubergine slices with Onions and Tomatoes, Baba Ganoush or Moutabal
(Aubergines with Tahini)

For inspiration try Claudia Roden's "A new book of Middle Eastern Food'.
Penguin, ISBN 0-14-046588-X or go out to the nearest Arabic restaurant in
your neighbourhood for a taste sensation.

Phil
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Kaye, many thanks for your olive oil/aubergine recipes and the various leads
Edward [Sussex, England]
-----Original Message-----
From: Kayenoble@aol.com <Kayenoble@aol.com>
To: OliveOil@onelist.com <OliveOil@onelist.com>
Date: 06 August 1999 21:41
Subject: [OliveOil] More Aubergine/Eggplant Recipes


>From: Kayenoble@aol.com
>
>I was finally able to access Paula Wolfert's site
>(http://www.paula-wolfert.com/ <A
HREF="http://www.paula-wolfert.com/">Click
>here: Welcome to Paula Wolfert's Web Site</A> ) today and she has the
>following two aubergine/eggplant recipes. Though not Syrian, they sound
good,
>and as usual, her tips are most helpful.
>
>http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/caviar.html <A
>HREF="http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/caviar.html">Click here: Recipe:
>Mediterranean Caviar</A>
>
>Mediterranean Caviar
>
>The following spread, served cool on toasted slices of French bread, is a
>combination of eggplant caviar and the famous samfaina of Catalonia.
Samfaina
>is a ratatouille-style garnish of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and eggplant
>cooked down to a marmalade and used to accompany fish, poultry, and meat.
>Though its ingredients are classically Mediterranean, a really first-rate
>samfaina is not easy to make. The Catalan food commentator Josef Pla has
>called it "a dish of optimism." Made properly in autumn, when its
component
>vegetables are in a state of absolute perfection, it becomes a truly great
>thing-- great enough, to paraphrase Pla, to give one optimism about the
>possibility of perfection on this earth.
>
>Makes about 1 1/4 cups
>
>1 eggplant (1 1/4 pounds) firm, smooth-skinned
>3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
>1 medium onion, sliced thin
>1 large, fleshy sweet red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small
>squares
>1 small green bell pepper, cored, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small cubes
>1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1/2 cup drained canned
plum
>tomatoes, seeds discarded
>3 garlic cloves, minced 2 flat anchovy fillets, drained and crushed with a
>fork
>salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
>
>1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the eggplant; brush it with 1
>tablespoon of the olive oil, and place it in a baking dish. Bake 40
minutes,
>turning midway. Place the peppers (red and green) in a baking dish and set
>in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, stirring them midway, too.
>
>2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over low heat in a heavy
>skillet; add the onion and 3 tablespoons of water, and cook, stirring , for
>10 minutes. Add the tomato and cook until very thick, about 5 minutes.
Add
>the baked peppers and the garlic, and cook over a low heat, stirring,
until
>the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Fold in the anchovies and cook 1
to
>2 minutes. Leave the mixture in the skillet off the heat.
>
>3. Remove the eggplant when it is completely soft and the skin is
blistery.
>Scrape the flesh from the skin (this is very easy if you first split the
>cooked eggplant lengthwise while still hot, then allow it to cool for 10
>minutes under a kitchen towel). Discard any hard seeds and the skin. (See
>note.)
>
>4. On a wooden work surface, mash the eggplant with a wooden spoon until
>smooth. At the same time work in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
>Add the eggplant, salt, and pepper to the other vegetables. Fry,
constantly
>stirring, until all the liquid evaporates and there are only oil and
>vegetables left, about 15 minutes. Stir carefully to avoid scorching but
be
>sure to allow the mixture to become somewhat dark in color. Season to
taste.
> Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until you are ready to serve.
>Return it to room temperature before serving.
>
>Note to the Cook:
>However carefully you select them, some eggplants will be extremely bitter.
>After scraping off the baked skin, taste the flesh; if necessary squeeze
the
>warm pulp through the fingers to remove the bitter juices.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>---------------------
>http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/chop_liver.html <A
>HREF="http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/chop_liver.html">Click here:
>Recipe: "Chopped Liver" Made with Eggplant (Israel)</A>
>
>"Chopped Liver" made with Eggplant (Israel)
>
> "This dish was developed in the late forties, when there was hardly any
>meat here and food was rationed," writes Israeli food writer, Dalia
Lamdani,
>in a letter to me from Tel Aviv. Dalia is describing the background of this
>vegetarian "chopped liver" salad in which eggplant stands in for the liver.
>She goes on:"The dish lost its popularity as the economy improved and
nobody
>wanted to remember the hard times. It reemerged in the nineties, and pops
up
>now in the most unlikely places----Arab restaurants, the deli corner of a
>supermarket chain, even in the latest edition (1991) of the IDF (Israeli
>Defense Forces) cookbook."
>
> Some cooks have a talent for frying eggplant without needing to add
more
>oil to the pan. Others find they must keep adding oil, and so end up with a
>heavy dish. Because frying really enhances the flavor of an eggplant salad,
>I've devised a solution based on a method I learned years ago in Morocco:
Fry
>as many slices as possible with the amount of oil specified in the recipe;
>when you run out of oil, steam the remaining slices, then crush all the
>slices (fried and steamed) in the skillet, stirring constantly over medium
>heat until all the moisture has evaporated and the oil is released. This
way
>all the eggplant is imbued with the same good fried-eggplant flavor. Since
>you want coarse texture, please don't puree the slices in a food processor.
>
>
>Serves 6 to 8 and makes 1 quart
>
>2 1-pound eggplants, peeled and sliced
>Coarse salt
>Flour for dusting the eggplant slices
>4 tablespoons olive oil
>2 cups finely chopped onions
>3 hard-cooked eggs, shelled
>Freshly ground pepper
>
>1. Lightly salt the eggplants and leave to drain in a colander for 30
>minutes.
>
>2. Rinse, squeeze and dry the slices. Dust them with flour and fry in
batches
>in hot oil until brown on both sides. Drain eggplant in a colander. When
you
>need more oil, add the remaining eggplant to the skillet, cover and steam
the
>slices until tender. Return the fried slices to the skillet and over medium
>heat, cook and gently crush all the eggplant with the back of a spatula
until
>the oil is released and the contents begin to fry. When the eggplant is
>lightly browned but still retains some texture remove from the skillet and
>let cool.
>
>3. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water to the oil left in the
>skillet and cook for 20 minutes. (Most of the water should have
evaporated.)
>Uncover and let the mixture slowly turn golden, stirring occasionally.
Remove
>from the heat and let cool.
>
>4. In a wooden bowl, or on a wooden work-surface, combine the eggplant with
>the onions and eggs, chopping until well blended. Season with salt and
pepper
>and serve chilled.
>
>
>
>--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
>ONElist members are using Shared Files in great ways!
>http://www.onelist.com
>Are you? If not, see our homepage for details.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ***** Life is healthier with Olive Oil *****
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Invite others to subscribe to the OliveOil list by visiting:
>http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/OliveOil
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Kaye, thanks for your comments.

Next year we plan to do something a little different regarding the
harvesting of our olives (4 year old). We are planning to invite the public
to come and pick our olives and then serve them a typical Middle Eastern or
Mediterranean meal. During the meal the continuous press is producing extra
virgin olive oil . About 1 hour to process the olives. After the meal our
guests will be presented with bottled olive oil picked by them in the
morning.

Anyone out there interested in attending?

Phil
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Phil this reminds me of a scheme they have in the States for organic farms
and also an organic apple orchard.

It is called subscription farming.

People pay a yearly contribution to the running of the farm. In return they
get a proportion of the crops. It is quite popular with vegetables due to
the fact that they are coming ripe and being harvested throughout the year,
so people are always getting the freshest and purest veggies around. But it
would also work with olive oil. People would get so many bottles, say of the
extra virgin, and also even so many bottles of lesser oil for cooking with.

An extra premium could be granted if they were willing to come pick olives.

Just a thought.


John


----------
>From: "Phil Bramley" <bramleyp@one.net.au>
>To: <OliveOil@onelist.com>
>Subject: RE: [OliveOil] More Aubergine/Eggplant Recipes
>Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1999 12:18 AM
>

> From: "Phil Bramley" <bramleyp@one.net.au>
>
> Kaye, thanks for your comments.
>
> Next year we plan to do something a little different regarding the
> harvesting of our olives (4 year old). We are planning to invite the public
> to come and pick our olives and then serve them a typical Middle Eastern or
> Mediterranean meal. During the meal the continuous press is producing extra
> virgin olive oil . About 1 hour to process the olives. After the meal our
> guests will be presented with bottled olive oil picked by them in the
> morning.
>
> Anyone out there interested in attending?
>
> Phil
>
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
> You can WIN $100 to Amazon.com by starting a new list at ONElist.
> Drawing is held each week through August 20. For details, go to
> http://www.onelist.com/info/onereachsplash3.html
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ***** Life is healthier with Olive Oil *****
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Invite others to subscribe to the OliveOil list by visiting:
> http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/OliveOil
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>>From: "Phil Bramley" <bramleyp@one.net.au>
>
>Kaye, thanks for your comments.
>
>Next year we plan to do something a little different regarding the
>harvesting of our olives (4 year old). We are planning to invite the public
>to come and pick our olives and then serve them a typical Middle Eastern or
>Mediterranean meal. During the meal the continuous press is producing
extra
>virgin olive oil . About 1 hour to process the olives. After the meal our
>guests will be presented with bottled olive oil picked by them in the
>morning.
>
>Anyone out there interested in attending?
>
>Phil


Sure, where are you?

Mike Wilson.
Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia.
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Hi Phil

I like the idea and would like to join in the harvest, but are you paying the
air fare?

Gloria
--
http://natures-emporium.com/
Stones and minerals, tumbled stones, gemstone fountains and fountain stones
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Phil. too far to come, regretably, but full marks on originality in
marketing. How far are you from centres of population?
Edward
-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Bramley <bramleyp@one.net.au>
To: OliveOil@onelist.com <OliveOil@onelist.com>
Date: 08 August 1999 8:16
Subject: RE: [OliveOil] More Aubergine/Eggplant Recipes


>From: "Phil Bramley" <bramleyp@one.net.au>
>
>Kaye, thanks for your comments.
>
>Next year we plan to do something a little different regarding the
>harvesting of our olives (4 year old). We are planning to invite the public
>to come and pick our olives and then serve them a typical Middle Eastern or
>Mediterranean meal. During the meal the continuous press is producing
extra
>virgin olive oil . About 1 hour to process the olives. After the meal our
>guests will be presented with bottled olive oil picked by them in the
>morning.
>
>Anyone out there interested in attending?
>
>Phil
>
>
>--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
>You can WIN $100 to Amazon.com by starting a new list at ONElist.
>Drawing is held each week through August 20. For details, go to
>http://www.onelist.com/info/onereachsplash3.html
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ***** Life is healthier with Olive Oil *****
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Invite others to subscribe to the OliveOil list by visiting:
>http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/OliveOil
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
</pre>
</td></tr></table>

<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Gloria,

Now that would be a little difficult unfortunately.

One of the ideas surrounding our Olive Harvest Festival, which by the way
will run over the harvest period, is to attract tourism to a very unique
region. As with the wine industry in Australia, small enterprises such as
ours (boutique wineries, boutique olive ventures) cannot compete
commercially with the larger enterprises so an alternative is sought in the
form of eco tourism.

Good food, good wine, good olive oil, something of interest (pick and bottle
your own olive oil) coupled with a spectacular environment is an alternative
approach. If you are coming from either Europe or North America our exchange
rate must be very favourable and travel relatively cheap. Neighbours nearby
offer hosted accommodation in a spectacular bushland setting.

At the end of the day it has to be enjoyable, so I guess that is largely the
reason we are doing it.

During our harvest season you can still swim in the sea nearby.

So, forget about the airfare and come anyway!

Regards

Phil
</pre>
</td></tr></table>