Imam Bayildi

The Priest Fainted

I’m currently having a love affaire with these stuffed aubergines. It’s not a new recipe – in fact it is an old Turkish classic but it’s just so good. I’m sure that you can find hundreds of recipes for this online but I think this one is just perfect and best of all, doesn’t require an oven! Instead, the stuffed aubergines are cooked in olive oil on the stove top – a method known as zeytinyagli in Turkish cuisine – and served at room temperature. This Imam Bayildi recipe came from a funny little cookery book of Turkish food that my friend Elina has and I think it is spot on.

All the ingredients in this recipe are at their best in the summer months so now is the moment to make it. If you can, make it a day or two ahead as the flavour just seems to get better as it sits in the fridge. Imam Bayeldi translates as The Priest Fainted. Try it and you will know why.

Before you start: make sure you have a pot that you can fit all the aubergines into snugly together so they don’t fall apart. You will also need 200ml of olive oil. (Don’t panic…you can use any left over oil in other dishes!)

Imam Bayildi

Ingredients

• 4 medium aubergines​

Filling

• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic finely sliced
• 3 long green peppers or 1 medium green pepper
• 3 ripe tomatoes -peeled
• 3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 2.5 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs salt
• Black pepper
• ​200 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Coriander leaves or parsley to garnish

​

Method

Start by making the filling. Chop the tomatoes, peppers and onion finely. You should have more or less equal proportions of each. Mix it all together with the lemon juice, sugar and salt and let it sit for at least an hour so the flavour develops. 

After an hour, taste the filling. It should be sweet and lemony with the right amount of salt. It should taste really good! Adjust as necessary. 

​Take each aubergine, cut off the stem and, using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, cut away alternate strips of peel from top to bottom and make a shallow cut in each peeled strip. Be careful not to cut right through. Then take one cut and, going a little bit deeper, cut away a sliver or two to make a narrow cavity. Stuff the cavity of each aubergine with the filling, pressing in as much as you can with your finger without breaking the aubergine apart. 

​Put each aubergine into the pot. They should fit quite tightly so they can’t spill open. Pour over the remaining chopped vegetables with its juice and the olive oil. Cover and cook gently for approximately 30-40 minutes, until the aubergines are soft.

Using tongs or a big spoon, carefully remove the aubergines from the liquid and place them in a dish. Bring the remaining liquid to a vigorous boil for a couple minutes to reduce it a little more, then pour it all over the aubergines. It will be really tasty! Allow to cool before serving. They will be fine in the fridge for a few days, in fact the flavour will only improve. Garnish with chopped parsley or coriander leaves.

Serve as is or try with tahini, tzatsiki or simply some dollops of Greek yoghurt. Simply perfect!

​The taste of summer. The taste of the Mediterranean. Wherever you are right now, this will transport you.