Eggplant Stew with Prunes

Eggplant Stew with Prunes

This eggplant stew is the infamous Turkish dish Imam Bayildi, which translates to “the Imam fainted”. The imam ate a fascinating eggplant dish his wife prepared, and he asked her how she made it. When she revealed the quantities of oil she used… he fainted. Well, it wasn’t her fault – eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge!

This here version introduces a “twist” – the prunes, or plums (if you have fresh plums, it’s a plus). They sweeten the pot, literally, and complement the other veggies. If you love eggplant, I would recommend following a traditional Turkish recipe (some of them feature rice too). I just sauteed chopped onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant chunks, garlic, tomatoes and prunes, filled the scooped up eggplant “boats” with that stew and broiled a bit. This dish likes parsley, but oregano, savory or thyme work well too. And do add a sprinkle of lemon juice at the end.

Here are some recipes for the classic Imam Bayildi:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015148-imam-bayildi

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/10/aubergine-recipes-turkish-imam-bayildi-hungkar-begendi-roast-with-tarator-yotam-ottolenghi

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/imam-bayildi-the-imam-fainted/10582/