Imam Bayildi

Happy Black Friday everyone! This isn't our busiest day, we don't have any extra special sales on. Our busiest day is tomorrow. Small Business Saturday. So come by and enjoy the town at it's bustling best! Or come during the week for a calmer shopping experience. We'll be here 7 days a week.

I've heard many stories about the origin of this dish and its name. It literally translates to The Imam Fainted, and that's just fun. But I love the richness of this. It's not too heavy and the flavors blend together so well. Warmly spiced and comforting, a perfect fall meal. 

Imam Bayildi

2 medium eggplants
1 small onion
1/2 bell pepper
Parsley, handful
Salt
3 – 4 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil, divided
2 tomatoes
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp fresh mint or 1 tsp dried

Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Salt liberally and place in a colander in the sink for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse eggplants, brush with a tablespoon of olive oil each and bake cut side up, 20 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven heat to 350°F.

Slice onion finely. In a sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil to medium and add the onion. Cook 10 minutes, until they are fully translucent. Dice and add the peppers. Cook 5 minutes.

Add the cumin, mint, diced tomatoes, and brown sugar. Roughly chop the parsley and add that too. Cook 5 minutes; stirring frequently, until everything is well blended and cooked through. Season to taste with the salt. (I like to use our Smoked Salt or the Toasted Onion)

Make a series of shallow cuts over the length of the cooked eggplants. Brush with the remaining olive oil. Spoon veggie mixture over the eggplants. Add 2-3 tbsp water to the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Did you know that all those tiny pumpkins you buy for decoration this time of year are edible! It never occurred to me to eat them before, but I saw a picture on Pinterest...and you know how that goes. Now, I'm buying them up and going straight pumpkin crazy.

These are brilliant for appetizers, or an adorable main dish. If you have left over filling, I save it to serve over rice the next day.

STUFFED MINI PUMPKINS

8 mini pumpkins

1 lb ground chorizo

2 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsp Chocolate Balsamic

2 tbsp Rosemary Olive Oil

1 tbsp Tuscan Olive Oil, for drizzling

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, fresh grated

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut tops off pumpkins and save. Using a large spoon, scoop out seeds and strings. Save to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds later.

Place pumpkins upside down in a pan with 1/3 inch of water. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully turn pumpkins upright and return to oven until flesh is tender when pierced with a fork, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Let cool and set aside.

In a pan over medium high heat, brown the chorizo with the Rosemary Olive Oil. Tear the spinach into pieces and stir into the meat with the cranberries. Wilt the spinach, cooking another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Toss the Parmesan and Balsamic into the cooked filling and remove from the heat.

Taking a fork, scrape the insides of the pumpkins until some of the flesh pulls away from the sides. Scoop the filling mixture into the cavities, filling them just over the top. Drizzle with the Tuscan Olive Oil and put the caps back on.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Separate the strings from the seeds. Rinse and dry the seeds well. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Toss in a teaspoon or so of Olive Oil and a pinch of salt. Roast about 45 minutes, until golden, stirring occasionally.  

Customer Recipe: Philip J.

Friend of the store Philip J. contacted us on Facebook recently to show us this great dish he made with the White Truffle Olive Oil. He gave us a quick rundown of how he made it as well and permission to share it.

Thanks Philip! It looks fantastic!

Boil Penne pasta al dente, in a skillet over medium heat, few tablespoons of oil, fry garlic and mushrooms, set aside. Drain pasta, keep half cup of pasta water. Throw everything into skillet with half cup (I eyeball everything) of the oil, table spoon of butter, 2 tablespoons of ground pepper, some sea salt, some oregano, 5oz fresh grated parmesan. Combine all ingredients together and serve immediately.