Imam Bayildi

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 large eggplants
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 3 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 fluid ounces olive oil
• 2 fluid ounces water
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Recipe

• 1 halve the eggplant lentghways. sprinkle with salt and leave to weep for 5 minutes. rinse well and place the halves side by side, flesh side upwards, in a wide pan.
• 2 in a bowl, mix the onion, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs with the salt and a *little* of the oil. carefully pile the mixture high on top of each eggplant half until all the flesh is covered. mix the rest of the oil and the water with the sugar and pour it over and around the eggplant.
• 3 cover the pan and cook very gently for 1 or 2 hours. baste occasionally with the oil, pushing gently the onion and tomato mixture down into the halves as they cook. the eggplant should end up soft and flat, completely filled with the mixture, sitting in a slightly caramelized flavored oil.
• 4 leave to cool in the oil. transfer to a serving dish, spoon the oil over them, and serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over.