Imam Bayildi

4 eggplants
4 large onions
12 cloves garlic
2 cups water
1 cup olive oil
4 tomatoes (skinned)
12 sprigs parsley
1 Tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Cut the onion into thin half-moon slices. Chop the tomatoes and
parsley and mix with the onion slices. Add the garlic and salt
and leave aside. Leave the stalk on the eggplants but peel the dark outer skin in 1/2-inch wide strips lengthwise, then make a deep incision in the center lengthwise. Sprinkle generously with rock salt and leave aside for 30 minutes to extract the vegetable's
bitter juices.

Was well and pat dry. Take the onion mixture and fill the eggplants with this then lay them side by side in a wide-bottomed saucepan.

Add water, olive oil, salt, and a sprinkling of sugar. Put a plate
on them and then cover the saucepan. Cook until the eggplants are soft and tender and the liquid reduced to almost nothing (less than 1 tablespoon should remain in the saucepan) -- about 1-1/2 hours on medium heat. Allow to cool in own saucepan and serve very cold.

Notes: This the traditional way to do this. It preserves the shape
of the eggplant and looks very nice. However, we just cut the
eggplant up into slices, salt it and let stand to extract the
bitterness, then cook it in the onion mixture without stuffing the
eggplants. Tastes the same! This is delicious served on bread or
crackers.