Imam Bayildi (The swooning cleric)

My version of a traditional Turkish dish: stuffed eggplant... Mine is slightly healthier because I bake instead of deep fry and cut the oil in half. Also eggplant is apparently my absolute fav.

Cook time: 1+ hour
Inactive time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 3 small-ish eggplants 
• 2-3 medium white/yellow onions, chopped 
• 6 large garlic cloves, diced finely
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (you could chop and peel your own, but the canned ones come with tomato juice, which makes for a richer taste than using water)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil (must be olive oil, don't skimp here-- I already reduced the amount of olive oil by half)
• Parsley - dry (1 tablespoon) or fresh (1/4 cup chopped)
• Dill - pinch
• Nutmeg - pinch
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Lemon zest from half a lemon
• Fresh lemon juice - 1-2 teaspoons (add slowly and taste)
• Salt - 2-3 teaspoons
• Pepper - 1-2 teaspoons

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450*F or 225*C
2. Cut the eggplants in half length-wise; leave the stems on for aesthetic purposes. Being careful not to pierce the skin, cut some lines into the eggplant flesh to help it cook evenly. 
3. Rub the skin with a little olive oil. Put on a baking sheet. 
4. Bake for 20 minutes. 
5. While the eggplant is baking, heat the 1/4 of olive oil to medium. 
6. Saute the onions for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
7. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and stir about. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring. 
8. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 3 minutes. 
9. Turn the heat up to high and add the tomatoes with the juice from the cans. If you chopped your own tomatoes, add 1/4 cup water. The tomato and onion mixture should be at a high simmer / low boil. 
10. Add half of the parsley, add the salt, add the dill, add the pepper. 
11. Continue cooking the stuffing until the water evaporates and the oil separates out along the edges and it starts to look caramelized. Stir occasionally.  It will keep cooking on medium high for about 30 minutes
12. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Let cool. Sprinkle the tops with the bit of nutmeg. 
13. Reduce the heat in the oven to 400*F or 200*C.
14. Cut out the center of the eggplant and dice it up, keeping the skins intact and enough flesh around the edges to make sure the eggplant keeps its shape. 
15. Throw the eggplant flesh in with the simmering stuffing and mix around.
16. After the stuffing is all caramelized, remove from heat. 
17. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the sauce. Do a taste test here and adjust seasonings as needed. 
18. Fill in the empty eggplants with the stuffing, being careful to make sure the presentation will look good. 
19. Bake for 30 minutes. The skins of the eggplant should be blackened and crinkly, and the top of the stuffing should be a tiny bit crispy. 
20. Let cool to room temperature (this can keep for several hours or overnight). 
21. Enjoy!