This yummy recipe transports me right back to Turkey. It’s one of my favorite dishes and it’s vegetarian.
On a lazy afternoon, thinking about food, of course. This picture and the memory of the taste comes unbidden to mind. Luckily, I got this recipe from my good friend, Fusun. I discovered this dish at one of my favorite restaurants in Ankara. I just love it!
Patlican Biber Kizartmasi or Fried Eggplant and Peppers with Yogurt and Tomato Sauce
4 Asian eggplants, the long skinny ones
salt
2 spicy green peppers, like a
2 jalapeno peppers
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 cloves crushed garlic
Sunflower Oil
Plain yogurt
Eggplant:
1. “Stripe” peel the eggplant and slice
2. Salt in a collander and let sit for about 30 minutes under the sun, then pat dry. This sweats the bitterness out of the eggplant.
3. Fry in hot sunflower oil.
Peppers:
1. Skin peppers.
2. In the same pan and oil used to fry the eggplant, turn down to a medium heat and fry the peppers.
Hint: Be very careful, they splash, pat them very dry with a paper towel before frying and use the pot lid as a shield when submerging them in the oil.
Garlic-Tomato Sauce:
1. Simmer the crushed garlic with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Be careful not to burn. Once it is a yellowy color, add the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper.
2. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. If there is extra tomato juice, allow it to reduce.
To serve, place pieces of the eggplant and peppers on the same plate, cover with the garlic-tomato sauce and yogurt to taste. Enjoy!
Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.