This is everyone's favourite in Turkey. Long, slender purple eggplants are ideal for this recipe, if you can get them — just leave them whole for the pan-frying step, rather than cutting them in half. Here I've used the round chubby ones; make sure yours don't have seeds in them as these can make the flesh taste bitter. You can also make this dish using boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the lamb or beef. Serves six
4 eggplants (aubergines)
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
2 onions, finely diced
2 small green capsicums (peppers), finely diced
300 g minced lamb or beef
500 g tomatoes, finely diced, plus 6 slices ripe tomato
2 tablespoons tomato paste
15 g (½ cup) chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 garlic cloves, sliced
Garlic yoghurt, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Using a small knife, peel each eggplant lengthways, in striped-pyjama fashion. Cut each one in half and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the eggplants over high heat for five minutes, until evenly browned all over, turning them regularly with tongs.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and fry over medium heat, stirring until soft. Add the capsicum and cook for two minutes.
Add the lamb or beef, diced tomato, tomato paste and most of the parsley, reserving some for garnishing. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for a further five minutes. (The meat will continue cooking in the oven, so it doesn't need to be fully cooked at this stage.)
Place the eggplants on a baking tray, cut side up. Gently open the bellies then sprinkle the insides with sea salt. Poke the garlic slices into the eggplant flesh. Spoon the meat filling into the belly of each eggplant, then cover each with a slice of tomato.
Pour 125 ml (½ cup) hot water over the eggplants, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the necks of the eggplants are tender. Garnish with the reserved parsley and serve hot, with garlic yoghurt, a green salad and Turkish bread.
• These recipes come from Turkish Meze by Sevtap Yüce, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available to buy for $39.95 in Australia, and £20 in Britain.
