Walnut bread with hunkar begendi and marinated olives
This Turkish dish consists of grilled mashed aubergine with
cheese. The flour and milk have been omitted from this version, which may be
sacrilege, but it does give a lighter result. If you want to buy the marinated
olives that's fine, but it is an enjoyable process to do it yourself, steeping
the olives with various flavorings in a good quality oil. The oil can then be
used to make the hunkar begendi.
To make the marinated olives, divide them among three bowls
and add a different flavoring combination to each: try the fennel seeds and
pepper with mixed olives, the chilies and rosemary with black olives, and the
lemon and thyme with green olives. Divide the oil among the bowls and leave to
stand for at least several hours. Heat a griddle until a few drops of water
sprinkled on to the surface evaporate instantly.
Brush the aubergine slices with some of the oil from the
olives and grill for 5 minutes, or until soft and branded with grill marks on
both sides. Tip into a small bowl and mash to a rough pulp. While the mixture
is still hot, add the finely grated cheese and lemon juice and stir well to mix
through, with salt and pepper to taste. Drain most of the oil from the olives
and mix it into the pulp. Cover the hunkar begendi and put in a cool place
until needed.
Brush the bread slices sparingly with oil on one side and
toast on the griddle or on an oiled grill rack over a barbecue, if it is
prepared already for another dish. Keep an eye on the toast because it just
needs to become crisp not blacken.
Serve the toast with small bowls of hunkar begendi and the
marinated olives.
Serves 8
3 aubergines (eggplant), total weight about 675g/1½ lb, cut
width ways into 5mm/ ¼ in slices
60ml/4 tbsp finely grated Kefalotyri or Kasseri cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
1 loaf walnut bread, sliced as thinly as possible
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
Salt and ground black pepper
For the marinated
olives
175g/6oz/1 cup olives of various colors
Fennel seeds or dried fennel seed heads and ground black
pepper
Fresh hot chilies and rosemary sprigs
Lemon slices and fresh thyme branches
120ml/4fl oz/ ½ cup extra virgin olive oil |
