One glorious Fall day last year, we visited the winemaker Vangelis Gerovassiliou, in Epanomi. His mother, kyria (Mrs.) Marianthi, made this delicious local specialty for us. “Food needs olive oil, sweets sugar, and savory pies butter,” she said matter-of-factly when I remarked on the copious amount of olive oil in the dish below. She also explained that she bakes the dish to prevent the eggplant from disintegrating. Contrary to my own inclinations, she also boils the octopus, like my Italian friend, in plenty of water. You can find a wonderful range of Greek olive oils, herbs and other artisan ingredients at my online store here.