Eggplant and Tomato Hors d'oeuvre

Aubergine a la Turke. (Eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppercorns, olive oil). Peel and slice 6 large ripe tomatoes and 3 or 4 onions. In the bottom of a shallow baking dish arrange a layer of onion slices, put a layer of eggplant over the onions, then a layer of tomato over the eggplant. Sprinkle in a few whole peppercorns and a little salt. Keep this up until you have used all of the vegetables, finishing off with a layer of tomato slices each neatly decorated with a round of onion. Fill all the corners and empty spaces with bits of tomato. Fill the dish just to the top layer of tomato with olive oil, and bake it in a 250F oven for 3 hours or more. Baste the juices over the top several times. Serve chilled. Notes: The recipe is dependent on the finest, freshest ingredients possible. Home grown tomatoes are best. Be sure to use a very flavorful grade of extra virgin olive oil, and the freshest Java peppercorns are best. Use enough olive oil to bake, and baste frequently. Do not overfill the dish with olive oil, or it will bubble over. The first time I baked this dish, it baked for 3 hours, the next time I had to let it go five hours. Depends a lot on your oven. A la turque here means a general Mediterranean style. Eggplant is often served this way in the south of France.