Baking
57 recipes
This is the Turkish dish where an imam (leader) apparently fainted from delight upon tasting it. A vegetarian (also vegan) favourite of stuffed eggplants with a mix of tomatoes, onion and garlic cooked in a generous amount of olive oil. Wonderful on its own or as a side dish. And it is so good cold, which makes it a handy one to prepare in advance for the vegetarian visitor, or as a starter for a party.
The texture of the silky eggplant, and the fragrant spices is what makes this so special.
"Best served cold, makes an excellent first course or lunch with salad" – Mary-Lou Herdson.
Serves 4 – 6. Vg.V.DF.GF
Pictured: Imam Bayildi just prior to baking.
Ingredients
- 4 smallish eggplants, or 3 large, stalk ends trimmed off
- 120 ml olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted until fragrant
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp raisins
- 1 small dried red chilli
- Finely chopped zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
- 400g canned Italian tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley for sprinkling
- Preheat oven 200°C
- Cut eggplants half lengthways and scoop out flesh with a teaspoon, leaving a thick wall of eggplant. Sprinkle the eggplants well with salt and turn upside down to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse eggplants well under cold water and dry well with paper towels. Finely dice the eggplant flesh and reserve.
Method
Heat half the oil over moderate heat and add diced eggplant flesh, onions, coriander seeds, garlic, raisins, chilli and lemon zest. Fry gently without browning until the onion is soft. Add paprika and tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper, mix well and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and reserve.
Put dried eggplants, scooped side up, in one layer in an ovenproof casserole just big enough to hold them. Carefully fill each eggplant half with tomato mixture. Sprinkle remaining oil on top and add ½ cup water. Cover, place in the oven and bake, basting frequently, for 1 hour until well cooked.
Remove from the oven, uncover, cool completely and sprinkle with parsley.
Pictured: Imam Bayildi
TasteTip - Also known as aubergine, eggplant is named after the egg-shaped, white-skinned variety which we rarely see here but I have had the chance to try in Greece - it is beautiful if you can find it. They should be firm and heavy with taut, shiny skin. As well as the deep purple and white variety you can find mauve, green and striped. Many recipes recommend salting eggplant to reduce their bitter flavour. This isn't necessary now, particularly with the baby ones, although salting does make them absorb less oil when they’re fried.
Dietary preferences
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free with ingredient checks
- Dairy-Free with ingredient checks
