The following recipe was kindly contributed by YTF member and Head Chef at Maison de Leo,Willie Cloete. Enjoy!!!
“Imam Bayildi” literally means the “imam fainted”. The name is supposedly derived from a tale of a Turkish Imam, who swooned with pleasure at the flavor when presented with this dish by his wife, although other more humorous accounts suggest that he fainted upon hearing the cost of the ingredients or the amount of oil used to cook the dish. Another folktale relates that an Imam married the daughter of an olive oil merchant. Her dowry consisted of twelve jars of the finest olive oil, with which she prepared each evening an eggplant dish with tomatoes and onions. On the thirteenth day, there was no eggplant dish at the table. When informed that there was no more olive oil, the Imam fainted.
Imam Bayildi is a dish in Ottoman cuisine consisting of whole eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes, and simmered in olive oil. It is one of the most notable olive oil-based dishes and is found in most of the formerly Ottoman regions. The dish is served at room temperature or warm and I serve it with a mint yogurt which breaks the greasy olive oil a little.
Ingredients:
- 3 large aubergines, halved lengthwise or 6 smaller ones if they are part of other dishes
- ½ Cup (125 ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) butter
- 2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) garlic, crushed
- 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
- 1 tsp (5 ml) paprika
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) dried chilli flakes
- 60 g pine nuts or peanuts for a cheaper option
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh origanum or coriander, chopped
Method:
- Pre heat the oven to 190 °C.
- Score the flesh of the aubergines with a few diagonal cuts, without damaging the edges, as you want the aubergine skin to retain its shape. Drizzle the aubergine with the oil, place on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes until the flesh is tender.
- Heat the butter, oil and onion in a saucepan over low heat. Gently sauté the mixture for 15-20 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and the chilli flakes and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Scoop the flesh out of the cooked aubergines and be careful not to break and destroy them. Set the skins aside. Chop the flesh of the aubergine and combine with the tomato mixture. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts or peanuts, parsley and origanum or coriander. Season to taste.
- Spoon the mixture into the aubergine skins and warm in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Serve with a mint yoghurt sauce.
Mint Yogurt
Ingredients:
- 1 pack of fresh mint (30-40g) finely chopped (leave a few smaller leaves whole for garnish)
- 300ml good double fat Greek Yogurt
- 30ml Lemon Juice
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 30ml Olive Oil plus extra for drizzle
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix through well.
Serve with the Imam Bayildi by scooping in a serving bowl, drizzle with extra olive oil and mint leaves.
