Imam Bayildi and Easy Homemade Flatbreads

I always have Imam Bayildi as a side dish when I go to Turkish Restaurants. Its a slowly baked whole stuffed aubergine (eggplant) in a rich tomato and garlic sauce. It was a staple for me back in the 'vegetarian years' as it was pretty easy to make after work and I'd make a few ready to be put in the oven.

It holds its own as a vegetarian main dish with a salad and flatbreads or can be a side dish to anything from steak to chicken kebabs. Here I have sprinkled on toasted breadcrumbs before serving as the crunchy texture goes so well with the creamy, soft aubergine underneath.

For those who are curious - Imam Bayildi means the 'Imam fainted' and the story goes that many years ago a Turkish Imam swooned when he tasted his wife dish of aubergine, tomatoes and olive oil. Another story is that he fainted because she couldn't make the dish for her husband as they had run out of olive oil. I have no idea why, or if, he fainted, but this is a lovely quick vegetarian dish that anyone would enjoy.

I also added the flatbread recipe as I think they are by far the easiest, cheapest, quickest flatbreads you could have. Two ingredients is all you need. And a dry frying pan.

Ingredients:    (Serves 2)

2 aubergines
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, sliced
400g tinned tomatoes
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp paprika
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful breadcrumbs

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C. There is an on-going debate about whether to salt aubergines because they hold too much liquid and are bitter, but these days this is rarely needed, especially if the aubergines are small and fresh. Cut them in half lengthways and scoop out some of the seedy middle part. Chop this and leave to one side. In 1 tbsp. oil, fry the aubergines for a few minutes to slightly soften. Remove and leave to one side.

In another tablespoon of oil, gently fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, then adding the chopped aubergine centres. Add the tomatoes, sugar and paprika and cook for another 5 minutes. Put the aubergines snuggly into a small dish and fill the holes in the aubergines, pouring any sauce in and around them.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the dish. Lightly toast the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top before serving.

For the flatbread:

Put 2 cups all purpose flour into a bowl. Add 1 cup plain low fat yoghurt and stir in until you get a soft dough. Separate in half, then half again and then again to get 8 pieces. Roll one into a ball and on a floured work surface roll out thinly into a circle. Heat a dry frying pan and add the dough circle. Cook for a few minutes on each side and leave to cool on a tea towel. Easy - no yeast needed! You can add a touch of salt if you like, though.