Foodie's Hope

April 04, 2007

IMAM BAYILDI AND CARROT-WALNUT CAKE

Have a wonderful Easter celebration! :)

(Pic:www.bibi.org)

Have noticed that my blog is a "Kind Blog" now? (check my sidebar)

That means I pledge to be nice to everybody and leave kind comments and "Choose civility" when communicating with you! And I expect the same from you.If you don't like any blog and what they write, you can always choose to leave that blog rather leaving sarcastic,tongue in cheek and hurtful remarks and make any blogger unhappy! Or if you must say something,then choose civility and communicate your thoughts politely and tastefully. You know what they say "If you can't say something nice,you better not say it at all!" (I came to know about "Choose civility" message from Anali's blog!)You too can become Kind blogger(click on the link),that is only if you think like me!:))

What's on the menu this week?:

A yummy Eggplant dish called "Imam Bayildi",

and a Carrot-Walnut cake/Bread for the the Easter bunny!:)

Some more beautiful Spring colors of NC on display too.

A big purple Eggplant to make the dish which made Imam faint with delight!:D

I chose to make Imam Bayildi after surfing the net for Arab recipes out of curiosity,found many interesting dishes with Eggplants,Chickpeas and meat!When I chanced upon the hilarious story behind this delicious dish,couldn't help but to share the story and the dish with all of you this week!:)

Here is that hilarious story!

TURKISH IMAM BAYILDI (The Imam Fainted!):

"There are many stories about the origin of the name of this dish. One of them we heard while visiting Ankara, Turkey's capital. A long time ago a Turkish Imam (a clergy man ), known for his love of good food, surprised his friends by announcing his engagement to the young daughter of a wealthy olive-oil merchant. The friends did not know about her ability to cook. But they presumed part of her dowry would include olive oil. They were right. For her father gave the groom twelve jars, each one large enough to hold a person, of the precious oil. After her marriage the bride proved to be an excellent cook and each day prepared a special dish for her epicurean husband. One of them, eggplant cooked in olive oil, became his favorite. And he ordered that his wife prepare it each night for dinner. This she did for twelve consecutive days. On the thirteenth, however, the dish was missing from the meal. Queried about its absence, the bride replied, "Dear husband, I do not have any more olive oil. You will have to purchase some more for me." The lmam was so shocked that he fainted. And since that day, according to the story, his favorite dish has been known as Imam Bayildi, The Imam Fainted!"
Story is from "Epicurean", and the recipe idea is from the "Recipezaar" with some of my own changes.

Let's all swoon together now! Here is that truly delicious Imam Bayildi! ;D

To make these, you Need:

1 large eggplant,salt,3 medium red onions, finely sliced into rings,4 sliced Plum Tomatoes,6 thick slices of Bell pepper of any color you like, 4 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp butter,2 large cloves garlic,1/2 Cup or more water or stock,2 tbsp parsley, 1 tsp cumin,pinch of cinnamon,Lemon juice ,chilli flakes.

Slice the Eggplant inti two lengthwise,score with knife making sure not to cut the skin and scoop the middle as shown.Discard seeds etc.Sprinkle some and lemon juice quickly.Heat a pan with some olive oil,saute the sliced onions till soft and reddish on the edges with little salt,cool.Saute the garlic as well.Now ,rinse the Eggplant slices,dry and place in oven proof dish.Drizzle olive oil,salt,lemon juice,chilli flakes and Cumin and cinnamon pd.

Pile up with onion and garlic.Place some cut butter on them,layer with peppers and Tomatoes.Pour water or stock on top.Sprinkle parsley now or you can do that after it's cooked.Bake in the 375F oven for 30-40 or until done or you can microwave it too,first covered and then open until done.I can not give you the exact time,check often for soft Eggplant.

That's it! A beautiful tasting and looking Imam Bayildi is ready to dig in and swoon.Don't worry about 1 1/2 cup Olive oil Imam's wife used.You don't really need that much olive oil for this to taste as good as her's!!Really!!!:D

A plate of Imam Bayildi with slice of bread on the side:
Pita would be a great bread with this,I didn't have it on hand and also plain rice will taste excellent with this too.Hope you try!

Well..let's bake a easy Carrot-Walnut cake for our Easter bunny, shall we?!:D

Here is a quick ,rich,moist and no butter Carrot cake or bread,my favorite dessert!This is a quick bread rather than the regular carrot cake but equally delicious.I didn't post step by step photos,since you just need to gather up all the ingredients,mix and bake in a jiffy.Carrot-Walnut cake is glazed Cream Cheese frosting.You can skip that if you like or just dust some Sugar pd on top.(Recipe from Beatrice Ojakangas "Quick Breads")

Carrot-Walnut Cake:

You Need:Makes 1 large or 3 small loaves.

2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts,1/4 cup Raisins, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar packed, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups finely shredded fresh carrots, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg.

How to bake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spray with no-stick oil inside one 9 1/2 x 5 1/2" loaf pan or three 5 3/4 x 3 1/2 inch loaf pans.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, nuts, sugars, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until well blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients just until moistened. 4. Spoon into pan or pans. Bake 50 to 60 minutes for a large loaf, 35-45 minutes for small loaves, or until they are baked in the middle.

5. Cool on a rack before glazing.Place a wide plate under the cooling rack to glaze.

Glaze:

1. mix 1/2 pack of Cream Cheese, 1cup powdered sugar or more or less than you like,1 tsp Vanilla essence,drop or two Orange food color,and add enough milk to make it thin enough to pour to coat the cake.

2. Heat this for 40 secs in the microwave,not more than that.Whisk and pour on the cake with a plate underneath the cooling rack to catch the extra glaze.

3. Let the get firm on the cake and replace the plate with another and pour the glaze again on the cake until evenly coated.Garnish with baby carrots and walnuts.

3. Cover and chill the cake if you like or keep it in the cake dish covered.Tastes great the next day with all the goodness of Carrots and Walnuts!:)

Another look: