Eggplants In Olive Oil

Today's recipe is an Ottoman dish. My dear friend Aslıhan Mutlu serves this dish in her restaurant "Erenler Sofrası" in Bodrum. Her version is simply perfect. When I came upon these big eggplants in the bazaar in Yalıkavak, I decided to give it a try. Some minor touches from oyascuisine to Aslı's original recipe, and voila!

A little note; the most important ingredient is garlic in this recipe. Do use a lot!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of flour + enough water + salt + juice of 1 lemon (for the peeled  eggplants)
• 3 eggplants (the round and big ones)
• 1 /3 cup olive oil
• 2 onions
• 1 teaspoon blackpepper
• salt
• 4-5 cloves garlic, grated
• juice of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 orange
• a small bough of sage
• 2-3 lumps of sugar
• 1/3 cup apple vinegar+1sugar cube
• 2-3 tablespoons extra olive oil
• pinch of saffron
• green parts of 2-3 spring onions
• parsley, to garnish

How to:

Mix water, salt, lemon juice and flour in a large bowl. Peel the eggplants. Cut them vertically in two and then horizontally so that you have 4 large pieces. Place in the water flour mixture immediately. Chop the onions making crescent shapes.  

Put olive oil in a large pan, when sizzling hot, add the onions and sugar, sautee until their colour starts to change. Add the black pepper. Add the eggplants taken out of the floury water, stir and cook until they release their juices. Stir every now and then. 

Put aside one glass of the flour water mixture and pour the rest away. Add it to the eggplants in the pan together with orange juice, lemon juice and salt. Put a lid on the pan and cook until soft. Add the sage and saffron, cook some more.

Grate the garlic cloves into a small dish. Add the vinegar, sugar and extra olive oil. Mix well. When the eggplant is cooked and little juice remains, turn off the heat and add the vinegar mixture. Cover the pan and leave to cool. Transfer on to a serving plate. Add the finely chopped parsley and spring onions. Add some more saffron.

Bon Appetite!

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View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://oyascuisine.com/index.php/en/my-recipe/82-olive-oil/886-eggplants-in-olive-oil#sigProGalleria2a15bff678

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