Imam Bayildi - eggplants

Method

• Trim the stalk ends of the eggplants (you may leave the stalk).
• Peel off 1/2-inch-wide strips of skin lengthwise, leaving alternate strips of peel and bare flesh.
• Make a deep cut on one side of each eggplant lengthwise, from one end to the other, but not right through, so as to make a pocket.
• Soak the eggplants in water with 1 tablespoon of salt and leave for 30 minutes, then drain and dry them.
• For the filling, soften the onions gently in the oil, but do not let them color.
• Add garlic and stir for a moment or two, until the aroma rises.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and tomatoes.
• Season to taste with salt, and mix well.
• Stuff the eggplants with this mixture and place them tightly side by side, with the opening on top, in a wide, shallow pan.
• Pour over them the oil and enough tomato juice to cover, mixed with a little sugar, salt, and the lemon juice.
• Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, or until the eggplants are soft and the liquid is much reduced.
• If you want to bake the stuffed eggplants instead, arrange them in a baking dish, cut side on top, with the rest of the ingredients poured over.
• Cover with foil and cook in a preheated 400F oven for 1 hour, or until soft.
• Allow to cool before arranging on a serving dish.
• Serve cold.
• Some cooks fry the eggplants very briefly first in olive oil.
• If the eggplants are too large for 1 person, cut them in half and make the slash into the cut side.
• For zucchini imam bayildi, hollow 2 pounds zucchini by scooping out their centers from the stem end, using an apple corer (see page 315), taking care not to pierce them right through.
• Stuff with the above filling and set the zucchini in layers, side by side, on a bed of tomato slices in a large pan.
• Pour over them about 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil mixed with a teaspoon of sugar and a little salt.
• Cover the vegetables with water and simmer, covered, over low heat, for 1/2 hour, or until soft.
• Small eggplants (3 1/24 1/2 inches long) are usually stuffed whole, although medium-sized ones can also be used.
• The usual way to stuff them whole is to cut a slice off the stem end just below the hull and reserve it to use as a cork and to scoop out some of the pulp with a small knife or a pointed spoon.
• (Use the discarded pulp for another dish.)
• Rolling the eggplant on the table and pressing it with the palm of your hand facilitates this.
• The eggplants are stuffed, and closed with the reserved corks.
• They are placed upright in a large pan, packed tightly with the cork ends facing upwards, and cooked in stock or tomato juice which is poured over to almost cover them.
• Zucchini and small bell peppers, stuffed with the same filling, are sometimes cooked together in the same pot with the eggplants.
• A Turkish way is to leave about 1/2 inch of the stalks on, remove the hulls, and peel off 1/2-inch-wide strips lengthwise, leaving alternating strips of bare flesh and shiny peel.
• This ensures that the eggplants keep their shape, while the peeled strips allow the bitter juices to escape after sprinkling with salt.
• A deep slash is made along the center, right through the eggplant, to within 1/2 inch of each end, and the filling is pressed into this slash.
• A third way, used when the eggplants are baked, is to cut the eggplants in half lengthwise.
• In this case the eggplants can be a little larger.
• They are peeled or not, and a bit of the pulp is scooped out to hold the filling.