İmam Bayıldı

Peel the aubergines in stripes and soak them in salted water for 30 minutes, then pat dry.

Fry them whole in half the olive oil until browned and softened all over, and set aside.

Very thinly slice the onions and cook them very slowly in the rest of the olive oil in the same pan for 25 minutes, until completely collapsed and sweet. This is the longest step and cannot be rushed.

Slice the garlic and chop the green pepper and 3 of the tomatoes. Add them to the onions with the sugar and plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 10 minutes more.

Chop the parsley and squeeze the juice from the lemon. Stir most of the parsley into the onion mixture with the lemon juice.

Heat the oven to 170°C. Split each aubergine lengthways without cutting through, open it out in a dish and pack the onion mixture in.

Slice the last tomato and lay a slice on each aubergine, pour over any oil left in the pan and add a splash of water.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Cool completely, at least 1 hour, and serve at room temperature or cold, with the rest of the parsley.