Easy Imam Bayildi Food

IMAM BAYILDI (A STUFFED EGGPLANT RECIPE FROM ASIA MINOR)

Steps:

• Saute the onions in a little oil.
• Add the garlic, tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Cook until it comes together as a very thick stew (no liquid). Stir in mint.
• Cut the stem ends from each eggplant and cut eggplants in half lengthwise.
• Make 3 lengthwise slits, almost from end to end, cutting into the flesh about 1 inch deep.
• Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add the eggplant, cut side down, and fry gently, until dark golden-brown on cut side.
• Turn over and fry on skin side a couple more minutes.
• Remove from oil (most of it will have been absorbed) and place on paper towels to drain for at least 15 minutes before proceeding with recipe (this gets rid of most of the oil- you can omit the frying step to cut calories and save time, but you will NOT have the same flavourful results, and the recipe will not be as authentic).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Hold each slit apart and spoon the vegetable mixture into each cavity.
• Arrange eggplants in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.
• Sprinkle with sugar, lemon juice, and drizzle with the remaining oil.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender.
• Serve with lots of crusty bread.

IMAM BAYALDI

Steps:

• Peel half the skin away from the eggplants in long strips, so that they look stripy. With the tip of a paring knife, make a deep slash lenghtways on each eggplant. Sprinkle the eggplants with salt and allow them to stand for 30 minutes, then rinse.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
• Put the onions into a pan, preferably non-stick, with 50ml of the olive oil and the sugar. Cook very slowly for about 1 hour until the onions are completely soft and the mixture is the consistency of a light jam.
• Spread one third of the mixture over the base of an oiled casserole dish (it needs to be a casserole dish with a lid, as you'll need to use the lid later), then add a layer of chopped tomatoes and set aside.
• Add the remaining tomatoes to the fried onions in the pan; and add the nutmeg and half of the parsley; mix well and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the water to the pan contents and stir; arrange the eggplants on the onion mixture in the bottom of the casserole and with a spoon, stuff the garlic slices into the slashes in the eggplants.
• Add the pan contents to the casserole dish and work it into the slashes in the eggplants as well. At this point, the casserole dish should be really full!
• Season to taste and pour the remaining oil over the contents; cover the casserole with a sheet of foil and then the lid. This should ensure that it is thoroughly sealed.
• Cook in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the eggplants are really soft. If you like a thick sauce, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to allow it to dry off a little.
• Allow the dish to cool off until it is lukewarm, then sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Peel the eggplants in stripes, salt the exterior of the eggplant generously, and set aside for 45 minutes. Don't chop the tops off.
• Pour 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a deep saute pan. Add onions, garlic, and red peppers. Sauté them until onion is transparent. Stir frequently to prevent browning of onions and garlic. This is one of the key steps to Imam Bayildi.
• After onions are cooked, add finely diced tomatoes, chopped parsley, salt, pepper and sugar into the sauté pan. Cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it cool.
• Pat the eggplants dry. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan, fry the eggplants on each side until they are golden brown (1-2 min). Add more olive oil if needed to fry the rest. Set the eggplants in a baking dish to cool.
• Slit an opening in the middle of the eggplant half way through. Don't cut all the way through the eggplant. Make the opening a little bigger with your fingers. You want it to look like a canoe.
• Equally divide the filling among the eggplants. Stuff them well. Pile any remaining stuffing on top.
• Pour the grated tomato into the baking pan, cover the pan with aluminum foil. Make several slits on the foil to let the steam escape. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until the eggplants are cooked thoroughly. Remove foil, bake 10 more minutes.
• Serve warm with something you can spoon the juices over. It's good with rice. It would also be good with potatoes or some fresh pita bread.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Halve the eggplant lentghways. Sprinkle with salt and leave to weep for 5 minutes. Rinse well and place the halves side by side, flesh side upwards, in a wide pan.
• In a bowl, mix the onion, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs with the salt and a *little* of the oil. Carefully pile the mixture high on top of each eggplant half until all the flesh is covered. Mix the rest of the oil and the water with the sugar and pour it over and around the eggplant.
• Cover the pan and cook very gently for 1 or 2 hours. Baste occasionally with the oil, pushing gently the onion and tomato mixture down into the halves as they cook. The eggplant should end up soft and flat, completely filled with the mixture, sitting in a slightly caramelized flavored oil.
• Leave to cool in the oil. Transfer to a serving dish, spoon the oil over them, and serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.
• Slice each aubergine in half lengthwise.
• Scoop out the flesh from the aubergines and chop.
• Blanch the aubergine shells in boiling water for 2 minutes then drain upside down.
• Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute the onion until soft and golden.
• Add crushed garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add parsley, chopped aubergine, tomatoes, green and red pepper, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice and sugar to taste.
• Arrange the aubergine boats in a baking dish and fill each one with the filling.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.

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.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, score their flesh in a crisscross pattern, and sprinkle salt on the cut surfaces.
• Lay them face down in a colander to allow the bitter juices to drain.
• After 1/2 hour, squeeze them, rinse them in cold water, squeeze again, and pat dry.
• Saute the onion in 1/4 cup olive oil until softened.
• Add the parsley and basil.
• Remove the onions from the skillet and combine them with the tomatoes. Salt to taste.
• Oil a large baking pan and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Heat a Tbsp of olive oil and a Tbsp butter in the skillet.
• Saute the garlic and bread crumbs, stirring constantly, until the oil is evenly distributed, there are no lumps, and hte crumbs are golden brown. Salt to taste.
• Rub the eggplant halves with a little oil and lightly salt them.
• Mound each half with the vegetable mixture and top with the bread crumb.
• Add enough water to barely cover the bottom of the baking pan, arrange the stuffed eggplants, and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil an bake for another 20 minutes, until browned.
• Garnish each eggplant half with a lemon wedge.
• Serve with Rice Pilav with Orzo or Bulhur Pilav.

IMAM BAYILDI WITH BBQ LAMB & TZATZIKI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the aubergines lengthways and score the flesh side deeply, brush with a good layer of olive oil and put on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 mins or until the flesh is soft enough to scoop out.
• Fry the onion in a little oil until soft, add the garlic and cinnamon and fry for 1 min. Once the aubergines are cool enough to handle, scoop out the centres. Roughly chop the flesh and add it to the onions. Halve the tomatoes, scoop the seeds and juice into a sieve set over a bowl, then chop the flesh. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook everything for 10 mins until nice and soft. Add a little more oil if you need to. Stir in the parsley, leaving a little for scattering at the end.
• Lay the aubergine halves in a baking dish and divide the tomato mixture between them. Pour over the juice from the tomatoes, drizzle with more olive oil and bake for 30 mins until the aubergines have collapsed.
• Meanwhile, mix the tzatziki ingredients together and put in a small serving bowl.
• Season the lamb with salt, black pepper and a pinch of paprika. Griddle, grill or barbecue for 3 mins on each side or until the fat is nicely browned, then put in a serving dish and squeeze over the lemon halves. Scatter the aubergines with parsley, then serve with the lamb and tzatziki.