Stuffed Eggplant

A fabulous vegetarian dish, for vegetarians and those who love them. I've had people who claim to dislike eggplant change their mind after tasting this.

This is a Turkish dish called Imam Bayildi (Swooning Imam). The story is that when an imam came home from the mosque, his wife had prepared this for his lunch. Upon tasting it, he fainted. Some think it was because he was so delighted with the dish; others think that his reaction was more due to the high cost of the olive oil it contained.

Ingredients:
6 Italian eggplants, each about 6 inch. long (about 2 lbs)
3/4 cup virgin olive oil, divided
4 medium Spanish onions, sliced thinly (about 2 cups)
12 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, trimmed and coursely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup light olive or vegetable oil
3 small Italian green peppers, seeded and cut in half

~Heat the over to 350 degrees
~Peel off lengthwise strips of eggplant to make a striped effect. Leave stems intact. Make a deep slit lengthwise along each eggplant (do NOT cut all the way through to the ends). Place eggplants in a bowl, sprinkle generously with salt, and cover them with cold water. Let them soak for about 20 minutes.
~Heat 1/2 cups of virgin olive oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Stir on onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of cold water and stir the mixture well. Lower the heat, cover the skillet, and simmer for about 12 minutes stirring occasionally until the onions are soft but not browned. Take cover off and let mixture cool.
~Rinse eggplants under cold running water. Gently squeeze out excess water and pat the eggplants dry with paper towels.
~ Heat 1 cup of light olive or vegetable oil in another deep skillet. Fry the eggplants until they're lightly browned all around, then remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Add the green peppers to the pan and fry them for about 2 minutes.
~ Place the eggplants side by side in a baking dish, open-side up. Sprinkle the insides with salt, then stuff each one with the onion mixture. Lay half a green pepper on top of each eggplant. Pour 1/2 cup cold water and the remaining virgin olive oil over eggplants. Cover the eggplants with parchment paper bake for about 40 minutes. Let the dish cool and serve at room temperature.