Imam Bayaldi has its roots in Turkish cuisine but made its way into Greece during the Ottoman rule. Humorous anecdotes claim that the name from a tale of a Turkish imam fainted upon hearing the cost of the ingredients or the amount of oil used to cook the dish. In the Greek version, we add feta cheese and a bit less olive oil to create a mouthwatering vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
2 to 3 large eggplants
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1 cup chopped tomato
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup crumbled feta
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, butter a 9” x 12” baking dish, and set aside. Slice the eggplants into a 1/4” thickness and pierce with a fork. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan to heat over high heat. Fry the eggplant for approximately two minutes per side, or until golden. Continue adding oil for each batch of eggplant. Nestle the fried eggplants into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Once finished with the eggplant, add two tablespoons of olive oil to the same frying pan to heat. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, cooking for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomato and spices and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened. Spread approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture over the eggplants. Sprinkle with the feta. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cover with foil. Bake for one hour then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.
Patataki 