Armenian Roasted Eggplant Salad Food

KHOROVATS (ARMENIAN GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to the medium heat. (About 350F. You should be able to hold your hand a few inches from the grate for 5-7 seconds.)
• With a fork, poke holes in the skin of the eggplants in three or four places. Place the tomatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers on the grill. Close the lid.
• Check on the vegetables every once in a while and turn them as needed.
• Cook the vegetables for about 20 minutes or until they are soft and start to collapse.
• Arrange on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs and chopped red onion.
• Transfer the cooked vegetables from the grill into a bowl. Cover with a lid and let it stand until the vegetables are cool enough to handle (5-10 minutes).
• Remove the skin from the vegetables and chop into chunks. Drain the liquid as needed.
• Transfer into a salad bowl and add the garlic, herbs, and olive oil if using. Season with salt. Serve warm.

ARMENIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT (IMAM BAYILDI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cut eggplants in 1/2, then cut each 1/2 into thirds, leaving 12 eggplant spears total. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While eggplants are cooking, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium to large pan. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan and cook until onions become tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Remove eggplants from the oven and let cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer eggplants to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Slice each spear vertically using a fork and knife, being careful not to cut through skin. Pry each open and fill with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato filling. Cover with tomato sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

ARMENIAN EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Roast all the peppers and eggplant under broiler, turning so all sides are roasted evenly.
• When the skins are charred, remove from broiler and allow to cool.
• Placing them in a paper bag allows them to steam so the skins may be easily removed.
• Peel, seed and dice the peppers and place in a salad bowl.
• Peel and dice the eggplant and add to bowl.
• Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, and seasonings.
• Toss all ingredients well, cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill.
• This salad can be made 24 hours in advance, and will taste even better when the flavors are allowed to blend.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and brush with olive oil. Slit the eggplants down the middle, being careful not to cut through the skin. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the outer skin begins to shrivel. Remove from the oven and transfer, cut side down, to a colander set in the sink. Allow to drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the tomatoes, herbs, salt to taste and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil.
• Turn the eggplants over and place in the pan, cut side up. Season with salt. Fill with the onion and tomato mixture. Mix together the remaining olive oil, the remaining sugar, the water and the lemon juice. Drizzle over and around the eggplants. Cover the pan and place over low heat. Cook gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, checking the pan for liquid and basting from time to time with the liquid in the pan, and adding water to the pan if it becomes too dry. By the end of cooking the eggplants should be practically flat and the liquid in the pan slightly caramelized. Spoon this juice over the eggplant. Allow to cool in the pan, and serve at room temperature.