Olive Oil-Poached Swordfish With Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Eggplant, And Black Olives - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Oven-dried tomatoes:
6 large plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 fresh thyme sprigs
Red-wine reduction:
1 Spanish onion, chopped coarse
1 carrot, chopped coarse
1 celery rib, chopped coarse
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped coarse
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 750-ml bottle red Burgundy
2 cups Ruby port
1 cup chicken broth
For artichoke bottoms:
3 large artichokes
3 lemon halves
For fish:
4 cups 1/2-inch diced peeled eggplant
2 cups olive oil for poaching, plus 7 tablespoons
3 artichoke bottoms
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as chives and parsley
1 1/2 cups oven-dried tomatoes
4 5-ounce pieces swordfish steak (about 3/4-inch thick), skin removed
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and cut into wedges
1/2 cup red-wine reduction
Make the tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 250.
Arrange tomato slices on a metal rack set in a large shallow baking pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange thyme on tomatoes and bake in middle of oven 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until tomatoes are slightly firm and dry. (May be made 3 days ahead and kept chilled in airtight container.)
Make red-wine reduction:
In a saucepan, cook onion, carrot, celery, apple, and garlic in oil over moderate heat until pale golden. Add Burgundy and Port and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, 2 hours. Pour mixture through a sieve into a small saucepan and add broth. Simmer mixture until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 1 hour.

Preparation

Make artichoke bottoms:
Break off and discard stems of artichokes. Bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to the base and remove several more layers of leaves in the same manner until pale inner leaves are reached. Trim bases, sides, and inner leaves with a very sharp stainless steel knife. Scoop out chokes with a spoon and rub cut surfaces with 1 lemon half. Drop bottoms into a bowl of cold water acidulated with juice of another lemon half.
Fill a saucepan two-thirds fill of cold salted water. Add juice of remaining lemon half and bring liquid to a boil. Add artichokes and boil 15 minutes, or until just tender.
Drain in a colander.
Make fish:
In a colander sprinkle eggplant generously with salt and let stand 1 hour. Rinse eggplant and drain well. In a skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook eggplant, stirring occasionally and adding a few tablespoons water if eggplant begins to stick, until very tender, about 20 minutes. Season eggplant with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.
Cut artichoke bottoms into thin slices and arrange in one layer on a tray or in a shallow baking pan. Brush artichokes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons chopped herbs; salt and pepper to taste.
In a small saucepan warm tomatoes over moderate heat until just warmed and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over very low heat.
Season swordfish with salt and pepper. In a heavy 10-inch skillet heat about 2 cups oil (1-inch deep in skillet) over low heat until just warm to the touch (180 F). Poach fish covered in warm oil 3 minutes; turn with tongs. Poach 3 minutes more, until just cooked through. Transfer to a tray and top with dried tomatoes.
Divide artichokes among 4 plates, mound eggplant in center of circles and top with fish. Scatter with olives and remaining tomatoes; spoon reduction around along with last of oil. Sprinkle plate with remaining herbs.