Recently, I’ve been out and about quite a lot, to the point that I didn’t see Pie for two days in a row and my Mum asked if we really lived together! Well, we do, so when I did have some time home at lunch I made Imam Bayildi for treats. The story behind this dish is that it was presented to an imam, who swooned when he tasted the rich dish…or when he found out how much expensive olive oil had been used to create it!

People seem to have this idea that vegan food can never measure up to meat, can never be as filling as meat and cheese, and can never taste as good as meat and cheese. When I first looked at this, I asked ‘What are we going to eat with it?’ It just doesn’t seem like enough for a full meal, but it is so rich, and so filling, that you don’t even need a slice or two of bread with it, except to mop up the topping and the vast amounts of olive oil!

This recipe is taken from Easy Vegan and slightly modified by me.

Imam Bayildi

Ingredients

150 ml virgin olive oil
3 medium aubergines
salt and pepper

For the stuffing:

2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
450g tomatoes (tinned, fresh, whatever you like)
1 courgette, diced (optional)
1 tblsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tblsp parsley
1 tblsp tomato puree diluted with 150ml hot water

Method

Preheat the over to 190°C Gas 5.

Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan, add 3 pieces of the aubergine and shallow-fry for about 10-15 minutes, turning them over until light golden on both sides. (This is sometimes difficult to judge, but since you bake them later anyway, err on the side of taking them out a bit early.) Remove and rest on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces. Arrange them side by side in a shallow ovenproof dish and season well with salt and pepper.

To make the stuffing, heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan, add the onions and sauté gently until they start to color. Add the garlic, cumin and diced courgette, fry for 2-3 minutes, then add tomatoes, oregano, and sugar. Pour in 165ml water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the parsley, then divide the stuffing and pile it up along the aubergines. Pour the diluted tomato paste/puree into the dish and cook in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, basting the aubergines once during cooking.