Vegetable Bayaldi Recipes

ARMENIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT (IMAM BAYILDI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cut eggplants in 1/2, then cut each 1/2 into thirds, leaving 12 eggplant spears total. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While eggplants are cooking, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium to large pan. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan and cook until onions become tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Remove eggplants from the oven and let cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer eggplants to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Slice each spear vertically using a fork and knife, being careful not to cut through skin. Pry each open and fill with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato filling. Cover with tomato sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

BALSAMIC GRILLED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add vinegar, sugar, and honey. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until reduced by half. Keep warm for glazing on grill.
• In a 1 gallon re-sealable bag, add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic and mix until combined. Next, add the carrots, celery root and onions, remove excess air. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Then add the zucchini and squash and allow to marinate for 10 more minutes.
• Preheat grill to medium-high.
• Brush grill with oil. Add onions, carrots and celery root. Cook on both sides for 3 to 5 minutes brushing with balsamic glaze. Mark and brown evenly on both sides. Remove to holding pan and cover with aluminum foil. Add squash and zucchini to grill, brush with glaze and cook for 2 minutes per side, until marked and evenly brown. Remove to holding pan, and cover until service.
• Drizzle veggies with remaining glaze and serve on a warm platter.

VEGETABLE BAYALDI

Steps:

• Saute onions, fennel and chopped garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add honey, one half the herbs and spices and season as vegetables begin to soften. Add 1 ounce water to moderate color. Cooking time: 10 minutes. Lay in baking dish. Roast 2 red peppers rubbed with olive oil and lightly seasoned in a saute pan on the bottom of a 400 degree oven. Turn peppers every few minutes to crisp skin. Total cooking time: about 10 minutes. Place peppers in a plastic bag to loosen skin. When cool peel, skin, removed stem and seeds and cut into 1 inch squares. Slice remainder of vegetables (ends removed) less than 1/4 inch thick and toss together with red peppers, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and remainder of herbs and spices. Tightly layer rows alternating vegetables over onion mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and poke a few finger-sized holes in top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes until vegetables are cooked.

GRILLED POLENTA AND VEGETABLES WITH CHIMICHURRI

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Make the chimichurri: Combine the parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mini food processor. Blend until pourable, thinning with more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
• Combine the polenta, red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the eggplant, squash, red onion, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Add the polenta and bell pepper to the grill and cook, flipping halfway through, until well marked and the pepper has softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet. Add the eggplant, squash and red onion to the grill and cook until well marked and softened, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet with the polenta. Roughly chop the red onion and bell pepper.
• Divide the polenta, eggplant and squash among plates. Top with the red onion, bell pepper and walnuts and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Drizzle with the chimichurri.

IMAM BAYILDI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and brush with olive oil. Slit the eggplants down the middle, being careful not to cut through the skin. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the outer skin begins to shrivel. Remove from the oven and transfer, cut side down, to a colander set in the sink. Allow to drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the tomatoes, herbs, salt to taste and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil.
• Turn the eggplants over and place in the pan, cut side up. Season with salt. Fill with the onion and tomato mixture. Mix together the remaining olive oil, the remaining sugar, the water and the lemon juice. Drizzle over and around the eggplants. Cover the pan and place over low heat. Cook gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, checking the pan for liquid and basting from time to time with the liquid in the pan, and adding water to the pan if it becomes too dry. By the end of cooking the eggplants should be practically flat and the liquid in the pan slightly caramelized. Spoon this juice over the eggplant. Allow to cool in the pan, and serve at room temperature.