← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 4 medium aubergines (about 1 kg)
• 1 tbsp salt, for the aubergines
• 150 ml Olive oil
• 3 Onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 6 cloves Garlic, sliced
• 1 green pepper, finely sliced
• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped (or a 400 g tin)
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 20 g Parsley, chopped
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 150 ml Water
• Black pepper

Method

1. Peel the aubergines in stripes, top to bottom, so they look like a zebra. Cut a deep slit along each one, stopping short of the ends and the far side, to make a pocket. Rub with the salt and leave for 20 min, then rinse and pat very dry.
2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the aubergines for 8–10 min, turning, until golden and softened all over. Lift into a snug baking dish, slit side up.
3. In the same pan, cook the onions gently in the oil for 15 min until soft and sweet but not brown. Add the garlic and pepper for 2 min, then the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and a little salt and pepper. Cook for 5 min, then stir in most of the parsley.
4. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Open up the pockets with a spoon and pack in the filling, piling it high. Mix the remaining oil with the lemon juice and water and pour it around the aubergines.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 45 min, then uncover and bake for 15 min more until the aubergines are collapsing and the filling is jammy.
6. Let it cool to warm or room temperature, which is how it is eaten in Turkey, and scatter with the rest of the parsley. Serve with bread and yogurt.

Tips

• It tastes even better the next day and keeps for 3 days in the fridge; bring it back to room temperature before serving.
• Do not skimp on the oil: it carries all the flavour in this "zeytinyağlı" (olive oil) dish.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Ozlem's Turkish Table Great British Chefs