Imam Bayildi

Ingredients

• 4 eggplants
• 3 bell pepper caps
• 250 g Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 white onions
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 organic lemon (juice and zest)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 0.5 tsp Chili flakes
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 4 sprigs Parsley

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean, wash, and pat eggplants dry. Peel the skin in strips around the entire surface, leaving about 2 cm between peeled and unpeeled areas. Then slice the eggplant below the stem at the top twice lengthwise and several times crosswise so a large slit forms in the middle. Remove the flesh, finely dice the eggplant skins, and set aside.

2. 2.

   Brush the eggplant with 2 tbsp olive oil, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (convection 160 °C; gas: level 2–3) for about 15 minutes.

3. 3.

   Clean, wash, and dice bell pepper caps and cherry tomatoes. Peel onions and garlic and finely chop them. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onions and garlic over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Rinse the lemon hot, pat dry, grate the zest, and squeeze out the juice. Add lemon zest, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and tomato paste, stirring until fragrant. Add the diced eggplant flesh and skins, bell peppers, chili flakes, oregano, tomatoes, and lemon juice; simmer covered over low heat for about 15 minutes.

4. 4.

   Fill the eggplants with the stewed vegetables and bake in the oven at 180 °C (convection 160 °C; gas: level 2–3) for about 40-45 minutes until cooked through.

5. 5.

   Wash parsley, shake dry, pluck leaves, and roughly chop. Remove Imam Bayildi from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve.