Turkish Eggplant Recipes

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-STYLE BRAISED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Trim ends off the eggplant. With a vegetable peeler, cut off alternating strips of skin. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes, place in a colander over a large bowl and toss with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes to 3 hours, rinse well and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible; do not break cubes up.
• In a large skillet or saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant cubes and move them around occasionally, until they are rather tender and somewhat browned, about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan with tongs, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan. Set aside.
• Add remaining oil to the pan with the onions and pine nuts and stir occasionally, until the onions are transparent and some pine nuts are lightly browned, 7 or 8 minutes.
• Return eggplant to the pan with the tomato, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, cumin and pepper. Mix well, then turn heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until the eggplant is very tender but still in distinct pieces, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring once or twice, until the liquid is somewhat thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the pan from heat and let sit uncovered until it is at room temperature, about 45 minutes. Stir in the dill and parsley, adjust the seasonings to taste and serve, accompanied by yogurt and lemon wedges for squeezing.

VEGAN TURKISH BAKED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Place eggplants in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic; cook until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels and arrange in the prepared baking pan. Drop a teaspoonful of the tomato mixture onto each eggplant slice. Drizzle remaining olive oil over and around slices. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until eggplant slices are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Garnish with pine nuts and cilantro leaves. Serve at room temperature.

TURKISH STYLE BRAISED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Trim both ends off the eggplant, then use a vegetable peeler to peel alternating strips of the skin; dice eggplant into 1 inch cubes and toss with the salt in a colander for 30 minutes up to 3 hours.
• Rinse the eggplant well and gently squeeze out as much liquid as possible leaving cubes whole.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil, over medium high heat in a large skillet; add eggplant and brown slightly, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.
• Remove eggplant with tongs and set aside, to leave as much oil as possible in the pan.
• Add remaining oil to pan along with the onions and pine nuts; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and pine nuts are lightly browned, about 7 or 8 minutes.
• Return eggplant to skillet with the tomato, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, cumin, and pepper; mix well, turn heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring once or twice, until the liquid has thickened a bit, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature, uncovered, about 45 minutes; stir in the dill and parsley, adjust seasonings and serve with yogurt and lemon wedges.

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.

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.