Eggplant seems to be a stable in Turkish dishes. I shopped for fresh eggplant in the Karamüsel, Turkish open market each Saturday. My 75 year old landlord, who was still teaching, taught me how to prepare this local dish. -Mike
Yavaşça pişirilmiş patlıcan (Turkish)
Sever 4
He used a handful of this and pinch of that, so here is a "break down".
1 large eggplant (patlıcan)
2 tsp. (30 ml) salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
2 medium chopped onions
1/4 cup (60 ml) pine nuts or pistachios (Cheap in Turkey, I use pumpkin seeds and chopped walnuts now.)
1 large chopped organic tomato
1/4 cup (60 ml) raisins
1-2 tsp (5-10 ml) each: sugar, cinnamon, cumin
black pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped dill (= 4 tsp./20 ml of dry dill)
2 Tbs. (30 ml) chopped parsley (= 2 tsp./10 ml of dry parsley)
Greek yogurt
organic lemon wedges
1. Trim ends of the eggplant and strip off the skin.
2. Cut eggplant into 1-inch (2,55 cm) cubes, place in a colander and toss with salt.
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes, rise, squeeze gently to remove the liquid.
4. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup (125 ml) olive oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the eggplant, turning them, cook about 7 minutes. Put the cubes to a bowl, leaving the oil in the pan.
6. Add onions and nuts/seeds, roasting about 5 minutes.
7. Put the eggplant back in the pan. Add the tomato, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, cumin, and pepper.
8. Mix well, then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
9. Uncover the pan, stir a few times until the liquid thickens, 5-10 minutes.
10. Remove the pan from the heat, sit uncovered until it is at room temperature, about 45 minutes or serve warm.
11. Stir in the parsley, add black pepper to taste.
Serve with yogurt (another Turkish stable with most dishes) and lemon wedges to squeeze over the eggplant. Pair it with the other two "braise" Turkish dishes.
afiyet olsun
Bon appetite
