Imam Bayildi Recipes

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.

ARMENIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT (IMAM BAYILDI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cut eggplants in 1/2, then cut each 1/2 into thirds, leaving 12 eggplant spears total. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While eggplants are cooking, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium to large pan. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan and cook until onions become tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Remove eggplants from the oven and let cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer eggplants to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Slice each spear vertically using a fork and knife, being careful not to cut through skin. Pry each open and fill with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato filling. Cover with tomato sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

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.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.
• Slice each aubergine in half lengthwise.
• Scoop out the flesh from the aubergines and chop.
• Blanch the aubergine shells in boiling water for 2 minutes then drain upside down.
• Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute the onion until soft and golden.
• Add crushed garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add parsley, chopped aubergine, tomatoes, green and red pepper, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice and sugar to taste.
• Arrange the aubergine boats in a baking dish and fill each one with the filling.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Halve the eggplant lentghways. Sprinkle with salt and leave to weep for 5 minutes. Rinse well and place the halves side by side, flesh side upwards, in a wide pan.
• In a bowl, mix the onion, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs with the salt and a *little* of the oil. Carefully pile the mixture high on top of each eggplant half until all the flesh is covered. Mix the rest of the oil and the water with the sugar and pour it over and around the eggplant.
• Cover the pan and cook very gently for 1 or 2 hours. Baste occasionally with the oil, pushing gently the onion and tomato mixture down into the halves as they cook. The eggplant should end up soft and flat, completely filled with the mixture, sitting in a slightly caramelized flavored oil.
• Leave to cool in the oil. Transfer to a serving dish, spoon the oil over them, and serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• 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 400°F 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 1/2-4 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.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350 degrees F. Heat half the olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and cook the eggplants on all sides for about 8-10 minutes, until the cut sides are golden. Remove from the pan and scoop out some flesh lining the skins. 2. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until transparent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomato, oregano, parsley, currants, cinnamon, reserved eggplant flesh and salt and pepper, to taste. 3. Place the eggplant shells in a large ovenproof dish and fill each with tomato mixture. 4. Mix the lemon juice, sugar, tomato juice and some salt and pour over the eggplant. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 10 minutes. To serve, place on a serving platter and lightly drizzle with any remaining lemon juice. Note: This dish is best served at room temperature and makes an excellent first course.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplants and brown on all sides, adjusting the heat and turning as necessary; drain on paper towels. Cut a slit lengthwise in each eggplant, taking care not to cut all the way through, then assemble them in a baking dish that will hold them snugly.
• Add the remaining oil to the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low; cook the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until very soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more, then stir in the parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Stuff the onion-tomato mixture into the slits in the eggplants. Pour any remaining pan juices and 3 tablespoons water over the eggplants, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool to room temperature, squeeze the lemon juice on top, and serve.