Turkish Eggplant Food

TURKISH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with olive oil.
• Pour the couscous and 1/2 cup water into the pot and stir to spread in an even layer. Scatter on half the garlic and onion.
• Layer half the eggplant in the pot and top with half of the chickpeas, bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and half of the marjoram, parsley, sesame seeds, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Repeat the layers, beginning with the eggplant.
• Cover and bake for 40 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.
• Calories: 361
• Protein: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 70g
• Fat: 4g
• Cholesterol: 0
• Sodium: 348mg
• Fiber: 15g

TURKISH EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PILAF (PATLICANLI PILAV)

Steps:

• Cut eggplants into large cubes with skin on. Place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Leave for 30 minutes.
• Rince and dry eggplant with paper towels.
• Half onion lengthwise and slice.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy pan and fry eggplant cubes until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
• Add the remaining oil and gently fry the onion until transparent. Add tomatoes, seasoning, herbs and fried eggplant. Bring to a boil.
• Wash rice until the water runs clear. Drain and place on top of the eggplant mixture. Add chicken stock.
• Bring to a boil without stirring. Reduce heat, cover pan and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Turn off heat, place a few paper towels over the rim of the pan and replace the lid (This is important don't ignore this part or your pilav won't be as fluffy!).
• Stir gently and turn into a heated serving dish.
• Serve with yogurt and then enjoy the delicious taste.

TURKISH EGGPLANT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190C). Coat 10-inch fluted-edge tart pan with cooking spray.
• Roast eggplants on baking sheet 50 minutes, or until tender. Cool. Scoop flesh into food processor; puree until smooth.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, mint, anise, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes; saute 8 minutes.
• add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste; simmer 10 minutes.
• Stir in eggplant and garlic; cook 10 minutes.
• Press 1 phyllo sheet into prepared tart pan. Spray with cooking spray, and sprinkle wiht 1 1/2 teaspoons breadcrumbs. Repeat layering with remaining phyllo and breadcrumbs. Roll over edges, and coat with cooking spray.
• Spoon eggplant mixture into crust. Arrange tomato slices and olives over top, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs (if using).
• Bake 1 hour,or until phyllo is golden. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

TURKISH STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH SPICY LAMB AND RICE

Steps:

• Lamb and Rice Filling
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and pepper, stir, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and crumble in the ground meat. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and the mixture is starting to dry out and brown a little in the pan. Tilt the pan and spoon out any excess fat from the lamb. Sprinkle in the seasonings, stir, then add the tomatoes and puree, then the stock. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the brown bits that have accumulated. Add the rice and herbs, and stir and cook a couple of minutes, until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. When the filling is well mixed, moist, and flavorful-but not wet-remove it from the heat and let it cool.
• Eggplant
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Combine all the ingredients except the eggplants in a small bowl.
• Cut the stem end from each eggplant, then cut it in half lengthwise. Take a look at the flesh, and if it is creamy white and not too seedy, don't worry about salting it. However, if it is a little darker, with numerous seeds, there's a good chance the juices will be slightly bitter, so you'll want to extract them. To do this, sprinkle the cut sides with about a teaspoon of salt each and place them cut side down on a plate or tray lined with a double thickness of paper towels. Place another plate or tray on top and weight that with a couple of pounds (cans of beans work well). Set aside for 10-15 minutes, then remove the weight and brush the salt off the surface, or rinse with running water and pat dry. Cut a shallow crosshatch pattern in the cut surface of the eggplant and brush generously with the flavored oil. Place the eggplant halves cut sides up on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the eggplants are very soft when you squeeze the sides and the surface is golden brown. Cool completely.
• To Assemble
• With your fingers or a spoon, press the tender eggplant flesh to the sides, making a bed for the filling. Divide the filling among the halves. Sprinkle the bread crumb topping evenly over the filling and pat it lightly. Bake the filled eggplants for about 15 minutes, or until they're heated through and the crumbs are browned.