Baked Eggplant Wraps-İslim Kebabı

This traditional Turkish dish comes from the Ottoman kitchen. In the original recipe, chunks of cooked lamb or beef assembled in strips of fried eggplant. Basically eggplant and filling are cooked separately first, then assembled into a small package using a toothpick. Later, these small wraps are baked in the oven in tomato sauce, mixing the flavors of all of the ingredients.

Over the years, lamb filling was replaced mostly with chunks of beef or köfte, seasoned meatballs made with ground beef. I have modified the recipe by roasting the eggplants in the oven instead of frying them.

This is a dish that looks just as delicious as it tastes, making it a perfect main dish to serve to your guests, formal or casual. After all, it was fit to be served to sultans for centuries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 Persian/Japanese/Chinese eggplants
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/2 lb rib-eye steak or similar tender beef, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped or 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons tomato paste, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Toothpicks
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup parsley for garnish, chopped

Directions:

• Roasting the eggplants

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the eggplants. Remove tops, peel eggplants lengthwise as in the photo below, cut the eggplants lengthwise in ¼ inch thick slices.
2. Fill a large bowl with water. Put 2 tablespoons of salt, mix. Place eggplant slices in the salt water. Let them stay in salt-water for 15-20 minutes. This will take the bitterness of the eggplants.
3. Line an oven tray with parchment paper. Remove eggplant slices from salt-water, put them on paper towels, and pat them dry.
4. Place eggplant slices on the tray. Brush olive oil on the eggplants on both sides. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes until eggplants are soft and slightly browned. Remove and set aside.

• Prepare the filling

1. While eggplants are roasting in the oven, place ¼ cup olive oil in a pan. Add beef chunks and sauté until the juice evaporates.
2. In a small bowl, prepare tomato sauce by dissolving 1 tablespoon of tomato paste in ½ cup boiling water.
3. Add chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and sauté until the beef is tender about 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

• Assemble the wraps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Take two eggplant slices. Place them on a flat surface forming a cross. Take a couple of table spoons of the beef filling and place it in the middle. Wrap the meat in eggplant by bringing the four ends of slices on top of each other. Secure the wrap with a toothpick.
3. Place a piece of pepper, then a cherry tomato half on top of the toothpick as garnish for the wrap.
4. Carefully place the wrap in an oven safe dish. I use a rectangular Pyrex dish.
5. Repeat the process until you use all of the eggplant strips and the filling.
6. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, ¼ cup of olive oil, ½ cup boiling water and salt to taste. Pour this sauce on the baking tray.

• Bake the wraps:

1. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Depending on the size and the type of eggplants used, you may need to cook them for longer. Please check for doneness. When checked with a fork, eggplants should be tender when fully cooked. Tomatoes and peppers on top should be tender as well. Remove the dish from the oven.
2. Sprinkle a few sprigs of parsley as garnish.  
3. Serve hot with rice.  

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Peeled eggplants

Eggplant strips in salt water

Eggplant brushed with oil

Beef cut into small cubes

Sautéed beef

Eggplant strips forming a cross shape

Place meat filling in the middle

Eggplant wrap ready

Wraps in oven pan

Add leftover peppers to the pan

Add sauce to the pan

Eggplant Wraps are Ready to Serve

Baked Eggplant Wraps