Imam Bayildi - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants
Vegetable Mixture
3 cups chopped onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (2 Tbsp dried)
4 -5 chopped ripe tomatoes
salt
Bread Crumb Mixture
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
Garnish
2 lemons, cut in wedges

Preparation

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, score their flesh in a crisscross pattern, and sprinkle salt on the cut surfaces.
Lay them face down in a colander to allow the bitter juices to drain.
After 1/2 hour, squeeze them, rinse them in cold water, squeeze again, and pat dry.
Saute the onion in 1/4 cup olive oil until softened.
Add the parsley and basil.
Remove the onions from the skillet and combine them with the tomatoes. Salt to taste.
Oil a large baking pan and preheat the oven to 350\u00b0F.
Heat a Tbsp of olive oil and a Tbsp butter in the skillet.
Saute the garlic and bread crumbs, stirring constantly, until the oil is evenly distributed, there are no lumps, and hte crumbs are golden brown. Salt to taste.
Rub the eggplant halves with a little oil and lightly salt them.
Mound each half with the vegetable mixture and top with the bread crumb.
Add enough water to barely cover the bottom of the baking pan, arrange the stuffed eggplants, and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil an bake for another 20 minutes, until browned.
Garnish each eggplant half with a lemon wedge.
Serve with Rice Pilav with Orzo or Bulhur Pilav.