Baked Eggplants with Veggie Filling (İmambayıldı)

Many Turkish dishes have interesting names. The direct translation of this recipe is "the Imam fainted".

Makes 6 servings

6 medium sized eggplants * 6 tsps sugar * 1 tbsp olive oil * 1 coffee cup olive oil * 6 garlic cloves * 3 medium sized onions * 4 medium sized tomatoes * 50 g parsley * salt * 1-2 red bell pepper (to garnish)

Peel the eggplants. Mix 2 tsps of salt with 2 tsps of sugar and sprinkle the eggplants. Let them wait for 30 minutes. Dry the eggplants very well. Place them on a oven tray and pour over the olive oil. Bake them on a 200º pre-heated oven until they become soft (aprox. 20 minutes). On a frying pan, sauté the garlic and the onion with the olive oil (1 tbsp). Peel the tomatoes, cut them in cubes and add them to the garlic and onion. Add 4 tsps of sugar and some salt. When the tomato juice evaporates, turn off the fire. Mince the parsley and add to the mixture. Place some of the mixture over each one of the eggplants, after having opened the eggplants a little. Garnish each one with a piece of red bell pepper. Cover the oven tray with aluminum folio and bake again for 10 minutes on a 200º preheated oven.