Imam Bayildi

• 4medium aubergines, about 250 g each (1 kg total), halved lengthways
• 7 tbspolive oil
• 2large onions, thinly sliced
• 1green pepper, thinly sliced
• 5garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 500gripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsptomato puree
• 1 tspsugar
• 1/2 tspground cinnamon
• 30gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1lemon, half juiced, half cut into wedges
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 300gGreek yoghurt
• 4flatbreads

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Score the cut side of each aubergine half in a diamond pattern without cutting through the skin, brush with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt them well. Lay them cut side up in a large baking dish and roast for 25 minutes until the flesh is soft and golden.
2. 2Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions and green pepper with a teaspoon of salt for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft and sweet. Do not rush this; the slow-cooked onion is where the filling gets its flavour. Add the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. 3Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar and cinnamon and cook for 8 minutes until thick and jammy with no watery liquid left in the pan. Take off the heat and stir in most of the parsley, the lemon juice and plenty of black pepper.
4. 4Press the flesh of each aubergine half down with the back of a spoon to make a hollow, then pile the filling on top and press it in. Pour 100ml of water into the base of the dish, drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the aubergines and cover the dish tightly with foil.
5. 5Bake for 25 minutes until the aubergines have collapsed completely and a knife goes through the skin with no resistance. Turn the oven off and leave the dish out for 10 minutes; imam bayildi tastes better warm than piping hot, once the oil and tomato juices have settled back into the aubergine.
6. 6While the aubergines rest, warm the flatbreads in the cooling oven for 3 minutes until soft and puffed. Season the yoghurt with a pinch of salt and serve two aubergine halves each with the yoghurt, the flatbreads, the rest of the parsley and a lemon wedge.

Per serving

kcal

609

protein

18.2g

fibre

14.3g

carbs

70.5g

fat

30.5g