Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Karen Mintzias 8 Tomatoes, sliced
2 1/2 lb Eggplants 1/2 c Chopped fresh parsley
Salt 4 Garlic cloves, peeled and
3 md Onions, peeled and sliced - sliced
1/2 c Water Freshly ground pepper
5 tb Olive oil 1 pn Granulated sugar
5 Fresh tomatoes, peeled and Fresh parsley for garnish
- sliced, or: canned plum

*Note: 8 canned plum tomatoes, sliced, may be substituted for the 5
fresh.

Wash the eggplants, cut off the stem end if using large ones and cut
in half lengthwise. With the tip of a sharp knife, make at least 3
lengthwise slashes on the cut sides of the eggplants, being careful
not to pierce the skin on the opposite side. Sprinkle with salt and
let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, dry, and invert to
drain.

Meanwhile, put the onions in a small pan with the 1/2 cup water and
simmer a few minutes. Drain and discard the water or save for soup.

In a medium frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and saute the
onions until soft, then put approximately a third of them in the
bottom of a buttered casserole large enough to accomodate all the
eggplants. Set 4 to 5 tomato slices over the onions in the casserole
and add the rest of the tomatoes to the onion remaining in the frying
pan. Saute onions and tomatoes for 10 minutes, then stir in all but 2
tablespoons of the parsley and remove from the heat. Set the
eggplants into the casserole, tuck a slice of garlic into each
eggplant slash, and stuff the slashes with the filling, allowing some
to cover the top of the eggplant. Season lightly with salt, pepper,
and a pinch of sugar, then dribble the remaining oil and chopped
parsley over the eggplants. Cover the casserole with a lid or
aluminum foil and bake in a moderate oven (350 F) for 30 to 40
minutes, until fork-tender, removing the cover during the last 10
minutes, to allow the sauce to thicken. Garnish with parsley and
serve warm.

Note: This is excellent as a first course of a subsequently light meal
topped with fresh fruit and Turkish coffee.

If you wish, you may leave the eggplants whole, slash one side and
remove some of the pulp with a small spoon. This pulp is then
sauteed with the filing and stuffed into the eggplant, a very
attractive method for the smaller eggplants. As you might suspect,
both variations may also be prepared on top of the stove.

From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel
Books, New York.

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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