Melitzanes Imam Bayildi Recipes

MELITZANES IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Instructions To prepare the aubergines, place them lengthwise on a board. Cut the stalks off. Using a peeler or sharp paring knife, peel a 1-2cm strip of skin from the stalk end to the base of the aubergine. Leave a 1-2cm strip of skin, and then peel another strip. Carry on until you have gone all the way around the aubergine and you have a striped effect of skin and flesh showing. Cut a slit lengthwise in each aubergine. Salt the peeled parts of the aubergine well to 'degorge' them* and place them on a tray. Degorging draws out all the bitter juices. Set the aubergines aside for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and cut the onions in half through their roots. Cut into half rings. Peel the garlic cloves and slice them thinly. Wash the tomatoes well and dice them roughly. Make sure to catch the juice of the tomatoes. Heat a deep frying pan with 3tbsp. olive oil on a medium heat. Once the oil is warm, add the sliced onions and fry until they are soft and starting to turn a light golden. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes until it is starting to soften and also turn slightly golden. Add the tomato paste and stir through for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the pan. Add about 1/2 cup of water, the red wine vinegar and sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Bring up to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Add more water as needed. Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and the sauce becomes jammy and thickens. Stir through the roughly chopped parsley and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste, and if needed add a little more sugar or a squeeze of lemon juice. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Rinse the aubergines well, and pat dry. Heat a heavy based frying pan with 1tbsp. olive oil. Add a few aubergines and fry until the skin starts to turn golden and the aubergines are softening. They need to be almost cooked through, as this helps them to break down and really soften when they cook in the oven. You will need to turn them quite often and add more olive oil as they cook. Don't add too much oil though, as aubergines soak it up very quickly. When the aubergines are done, remove them from the pan with tongs, and drain on some paper towel. Place in a stainless steel metal baking dish, with the slit facing up. They need to be quite snug in the dish. I find a metal dish gives a better result as it conducts more heat and caramelises the sauce more, but if you don't have a suitably sized one, ceramic or pyrex will work fine. Using a spoon, open the cut slits of the aubergines a little. Work carefully as you don't want to break the aubergines. Spoon stuffing into each aubergine. You can fill them quite full, piling the stuffing up a little. Spoon any leftover stuffing in between the aubergines. Sprinkle feta on top of the stuffing in each aubergine. If you would like to make the dish vegan, just simply leave off the feta. Add a little water in between the aubergines and drizzle 1-2 tbsp. olive oil over the whole dish. Cover the baking dish with foil, tenting it a little at the top, so it doesn't touch the aubergines. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 1-2 hours, until the aubergines are meltingly soft, the sauce is caramelised and the feta is golden and nutty. If the sauce is getting too dry but the aubergines are not done, you can add a little more water to the tray. You may also need to turn the oven down to 160°C (140°C fan). Once cooked, remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool down. Serve warm with a little extra feta and some crusty village bread on the side. Melt in the mouth 'Melitzanes Imam Bayildi' was last modified: January 7th, 2021 by Mira Related

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 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

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.