İmam bayıldı – Imam fainted

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 eggplant(s), approx. 15 cm long
• 3 m.-sized onion(s)
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 large tomatoes
• 4 pointed peppers, green, Turkish (Sivri biber)
• 8 sprigs parsley, flat
• 1 tbsp paprika paste (Tatlı biber salçası)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Water, hot, approx. 250 ml
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Pul Biber, alternatively chili flakes
• Sugar
• Paprika powder, red

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 35 minutes

stuffed eggplants with olive oil

Wash the eggplants and peel them lengthwise into four strips, each facing opposite the other. Place the eggplants in a bowl of salted water and let them simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Peel the onions, halve them lengthwise, and cut them into thin rings. Peel the garlic and chop it not too finely. Blanch the tomatoes, peel them, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into small cubes. Halve the pointed peppers, remove the seeds, and cut them crosswise into thin strips. These pointed peppers look like slightly overgrown chili peppers; you can buy them at Turkish stores. The light green ones have a mild flavor, while the dark green variety is hotter. Heat plenty of olive oil in a deep pan and fry the dried eggplants, covered, over medium heat on all sides until golden brown and slightly softened. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. First, sauté the onions in the remaining oil until translucent, then add the pointed peppers and garlic and sauté. The onions can brown a little. Then stir in the diced tomatoes and sauté until there is no more liquid. Stir in the finely chopped parsley and season everything with salt, pepper, pul biber, and a little sugar. Cut a hole in the eggplants lengthwise and press them open with a spoon to create a pocket. Important: Season the inside of the eggplants with salt and sugar now, then add the onion filling. Any leftover filling can be stored in a container and used later, for example, for menemen. Heat another splash of olive oil in the pan and fry the tomato and pepper paste in it. Pour in enough hot water to create a lightly thickened sauce; you will need about 250 ml for this. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, sugar, and paprika to taste. Then add the stuffed eggplants and drizzle with a little olive oil. Simmer with the lid on over low heat for 35-45 minutes. Serve the imams cold or lukewarm. Serve with flatbread or pilaf. Legend tells us that the dish got its name from this: When the imam returned home, the lady of the house served him these stuffed and braised eggplants. Impressed by their delicious taste, he asked about the ingredients. Olive oil was said to have been very expensive at the time, and when the imam heard that the cook had used a lot of it in the dish, he fainted.