Imam Bayildi Special

I have probably said this a lot of times by now, but in my country, Summer is a long story. So long, that starts from around April and ends at November! For some of you this might sounds like amazing, but for us the Greeks, who live summer nearly 300 days a year, this is quite frustrating.
(yes, it is!!!)

Temperatures rise up to 45ºC/113ºF, we get humidity, is hard to get around because everything is like ‘burning’, our tub water is so hot that we can’t even have a proper cold shower, we pay a lot of electricity for the air condition units that work 24/7, many grocery are hard to survive due to the high temperatures and we even carry our grocery into small fridge bags packed with ice, making our daily routine harder. PLUS, we miss a proper and long winter. Like the one Canada have. Or England. This long summer, drives us to invent new recipes or remember traditional recipes that have been created by our ancestors to make our living easier, with fewer ingredients, basic ingredients, vegan ingredients and tasty simple side dishes. And Imam Bayildi is definitely, one of them.

Imam Bayildi is based on vegan ingredients. Its main ingredients are potatoes and eggplants, while pure virgin Greek olive oil, onions, garlic, ripe grated tomatoes and fresh flat Cypriot parsley is complementing the dish. Imam bayildi is strictly vegetarian and easy to make and locals, call it Imam. Its origins, are believed to be Turkish. In Cyprus and Greece, we serve Imam with tzatziki or Greek yogurt and plenty of bread.

Ingredients
Directions

Ingredients

4 medium or 6 small bio, eggplants, cut in half lengthwise
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced (about 2cm)
1 large or 2 medium onions, or 8 shallots, sliced very thin
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ½ pounds (3 large or 6 medium) ripe tomatoes, peeled and mashed (preferably in a blade small mixer)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
a pinch of sea salt
½ – 1 cup pure virgin Greek, olive oil
½ cup of drinking water

Directions

Pour the olive oil in a big casserole, and place it over a medium heat. Allow the oil to become hot (not burning hot) and when ready place the potatoes in the casserole.
Allow to to cook for 5 minutes, constantly turn it in both sides (so as they don’t burn) and add, garlic and onion.
Cook for further 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir. When tender and browned add the eggplants on top.
Season with salt and add the tomatoes mixture. Mix very gently together, then add the water, by drizzling over and around the eggplants.
Cover the pan and place over a very low heat.
Cook gently for 1 to 1½ hours, checking the pan for liquid and basting from time to time with the liquid in the pan. Add water to the pan if it becomes too dry. (The juices should always cover the food)
By the end of cooking the eggplants should be practically flat and the liquid in the pan slightly caramelised and thick. If the liquid is thin, then food os underdone.
When ready, turn off heat and allow to the Imam to rest in the casserole for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serve in a deep plate (like pasta plate) and spoon plenty of its juice over the food.
Serve with plenty of Greek yogurt or tzatziki and lots of bread.
Kali Orexi!

Source: