İmam Bayıldı (Stuffed Eggplants)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (conventional). Wash the aubergines, remove the stems and halve them lengthwise. Score the cut surfaces crosswise without cutting through the skin. Drizzle with 4 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the eggplants cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (390 °F) top/bottom heat for 20 minutes until soft.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the onions and garlic. Wash, deseed, and finely dice the pointed pepper. Wash and roughly dice the tomatoes.
4. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions over medium heat until golden brown. Add garlic and pointed pepper and fry for 5 minutes.
5. Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste, fry briefly, then deglaze with 100 ml water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
6. Wash the parsley, shake dry, and finely chop. Stir half of the parsley into the sauce.
7. Remove the pre-baked eggplants from the oven. Carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a border. Roughly chop the scooped-out flesh and mix it into the sauce.
8. Generously fill the eggplant halves with the mixture and place them back on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil.
9. Bake at 180 °C (conventional) for another 25–30 minutes until the aubergines are tender and the filling is lightly browned. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve lukewarm.