Imam Bayildi - Vegetable-Stuffed Eggplants

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried Vegetables

1. 1
   Halve the eggplants lengthwise and score the flesh in a crosshatch.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Sprinkle salt over the eggplant halves and leave 20 minutes, then pat dry well with paper towels.

   Paper towels

   💡Salt draws liquid out of the eggplant, and dry slices absorb less oil and brown instead of steaming.
3. 3
   Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry the eggplant halves in batches, on both sides, until they brown.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan

   💡Fry in batches without crowding: crowded slices cool the oil and turn soft and greasy.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
4. 4
   Transfer the eggplant halves to paper towels.

   Paper towels

For the Tomato sauce

1. 5
   Heat the rest of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 6
   Add the onion and fry 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 7
   Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 8
   Add the paprika and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

To assemble

1. 9
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 10
   Arrange the eggplants in the dish, cut a slit in the center of each and fill with the tomato sauce, and pour the rest of the sauce around them.

   Baking panKnifeSpoon / teaspoon (regular)
3. 11
   Bake covered 30 minutes, until the eggplants are tender.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
4. 12
   Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve.