Imam Baildi With Feta Food

EASY IMAM BAYILDI RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425ºF.
• Cut eggplants in half. Scoop out the middle, leaving a 1/4- to 1/3-inch edge around the eggplant. Reserve the flesh.
• Brush eggplants all over with olive oil. Be very liberal with the olive oil. Eggplants will soak it up. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt inside the eggplant halves.
• Roast eggplants for 20 minutes. Chop up the reserved eggplant flesh.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in olive oil for 5 minutes with the rest of the salt and pepper.
• Add in the eggplant flesh, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 more minutes, scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pan.
• Distribute the filling equally among the eggplant halves, and top with crumbled Feta cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Garnish with additional Feta, chopped fresh herbs like parsley or mint.

IMAM BAILDI WITH FETA

Steps:

• Wash the eggplants, cut the ends and make a big long cut for the filling.
• Grease the eggplants with 1 tablespoon of oil and grill them in a big baking mold under the grill of your oven. Turn it occasionally until they change the color everywhere.
• In the meanwhile (but keep an eye to the eggplants!) fry the onions in the remaining oil, when they are soft add the garlic and fry 3 more minutes.
• Add the half of the tomatoes, parsley, pepper and adjust the salt to your taste.
• Fill the eggplant in the baking mold with the onions mix, but let at least 3 tablespoons in the frying pan.
• Adjust on every eggplant one piece of feta.
• Arrange the potatoes (if used) around the eggplants.
• Add the remaining tomatoes to the onion in the pan. Add some salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and cover your eggplants and potatoes with this tomatoes sauce.
• Bake about one hour at 170-180°C or until the potatoes are ready (heat and timing are basing it on convection oven). From time to time check if it is not drying to much, if necessary add 1/2 cup of water or white wine.

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.

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.