INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Dice the tomatoes and drain them in a colander for 1 hour. Discard the
juice. Choose long and narrow eggplants if possible, about 1-pound apiece.
Cut off stems and cut the eggplant in half the long way. Using a vegetable
peeler, remove three long pieces of the peel, each about 1-inch wide, the
long way. Move the peeler back and forth. This will help the moisture flow
out of the eggplant. Using a large metal spoon, scoop out a bit of the
eggplant, leaving a boat that has very thick sides and bottom. Coarsely
chop the scrapings and reserve. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of salt equally
on each eggplant boat and set it on a rack to drain, skin side up, for 45
minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Heat a large frying pan and
add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Saute for a moment and
add the onions and chopped pulp from the eggplant. Saute until the onions
are transparent but not discolored. Remove from the heat. Place the onions,
garlic, eggplant scrapings, tomatoes, parsley and optional currants in a
bowl and mix gently. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Wipe the
eggplant boats dry with paper towels. Fill each with an equal amount of the
above filling and place them in an ovenproof casserole just large enough to
take them comfortably. Mix the 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil with 1/2 cup
water and the thyme, bay leaves, sugar and lemon juice. Pour 2 tablespoons
of this mixture on top of each eggplant boat and pour remaining liquid in
the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer until the
eggplants are quite soft, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the heat
and allow to cool with the lid on. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Comments: This dish is so favored in Turkey that the name given the dish is
literally "The priest fainted". There are several interpretations about
what was going on. Some say the Imam, the priest, fainted from sheer
gastronomical delight when presented with this dish. Others maintain he
loved it so much he fainted when he was refused the dish. Another line is
that he fell flat on the floor when he realized how much olive oil was used
in the dish and how much it cost.
Recipe Source: THE FRUGAL GOURMET by Jeff Smith From the 01-09-1991 issue -
The Springfield Union-News
Formatted for MasterCook by Joe Comiskey, aka MR MAD - jpmd44a@prodigy.com
~or- MAD-SQUAD@prodigy.net
07-18-1994
Recipe by: Jeff Smith
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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