Imam Bayildi with White Rice

Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Rinse the produce under running water before peeling or cutting, gently scrub the eggplant skins with a clean produce brush, and dry. Remove any damaged areas, then prepare the onions, tomatoes, garlic and parsley as listed.

Trim the eggplant stems and cut each eggplant lengthwise into two halves, keeping the skins intact. Score the exposed flesh in a crosshatch pattern without cutting through the skins. Rub the halves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, coating the cut surfaces and skins, and sprinkle the cut surfaces with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Arrange the eggplant halves cut-side up in the baking dish in a single layer. Pour 1/2 cup of water around them and cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the flesh has softened enough to press down with a spoon. The eggplants will finish cooking after stuffing.

Meanwhile, heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft and sweet but not deeply browned. Lower the heat if their edges begin to color. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the tomatoes, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt allocated to the filling, and the black pepper. Cook gently for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture is moist and spoonable rather than watery. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of parsley.

Carefully uncover the eggplants, keeping your face and hands away from the escaping steam. Use the back of the spoon to press the softened flesh down and outward, making a broad hollow in each half without tearing the skin. Leave all the flesh in place. Divide the onion-tomato filling evenly among the four halves, mounding it slightly. Pour 1/4 cup of water around the eggplants and cover tightly again. Bake for 40–50 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. The thickest eggplant flesh should offer no resistance when pierced with a knife; if it is still firm, cover again and continue baking until fully tender.

About 25 minutes into the stuffed eggplants’ baking time, begin the rice. Rinse the rice in the fine-mesh strainer under cool running water until the runoff is mostly clear, then drain thoroughly. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute without browning it. Add 2 3/4 cups of water and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Let the baked eggplants rest for 10 minutes. Spoon the juices from the baking dish over them and divide the remaining 1/4 cup of parsley among all four halves. Serve one stuffed half per person with one-quarter of the rice.