A Turkish Delight

I hope you are all well - we’ve been getting out a bit more; we had a socially distanced dinner with Dan’s daughters this week and my neighbor and I sat out on the deck the other night chatting and catching up. So far so good.

We’re still not ready to head to a restaurant at least indoor but we have been frequenting walks at the Arboretum and around the neighborhood. It’s all good - well as good as it can be under the circumstances. 

On the flip side, we have a lot of time to work in the yard - it looks good and the garden is going strong. I picked my first herbs and lettuce/spinach this week and the green beans are flowering so it shouldn’t be too long. Tomatoes have some green fruit, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers are all flowering. I still need to thin my beets but other than that things are growing!

Imam Bayildi - a pan-fried eggplant casserole is a Turkish dish. It’s baked with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs and served room temperature in a lasagna-like slab. It’s a perfect vegetarian dish and easy to make ahead of time, as the flavors get better with age. 

After checking the weather this morning I decided to make dinner before noon and let the flavors meld - didn’t hurt to keep the kitchen cooler either. Normally the dish does not contain zucchini but I had one that needed to be used up and zucchini and eggplant go so well together that I took the chance - it did not disappoint. One slice of this might make you forget about lasagna or eggplant parmesan. 

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplant thinly sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise

1 medium zucchini

Sea salt

Olive oil

2 small yellow onions, diced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Dash of cinnamon

One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly salt the eggplant slices and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Pat the slices dry and set aside.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet. Pan-fry the eggplant in batches over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add more oil as necessary between batches so the eggplant doesn't burn, but try not to have too heavy a hand - less is more and the pan just needs to be greased. Remove the eggplant to a plate.

Add the onion and zucchini to the skillet and saute over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and cinnamon. Cook for one minute more, until fragrant. Carefully pour in the tomatoes and simmer until thickened slightly, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the parsley.

Add 1/4 cup of sauce to the bottom of an 8x8 or casserole dish. Arrange one layer of eggplant evenly in the bottom of the skillet or dish. Slather with a layer of sauce, and repeat with the remaining eggplant and sauce - like you would a lasagna.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft and the sauce has reduced. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks for stopping by!