TASTES OF HOME: TURKISH BAKED EGGPLANT KOFTE By Ilysse Rimalovski
- Ilysse Rimalovski
- May 2
- 4 min read
When Mutlu Bascillar’s family members left their Turkish hometown of Kilis in 1966, they thought they were coming to America for an extended visit. An invitation from a beloved uncle who had settled in St. Louis evolved into a nine-month immersion in language, education and settling here for new opportunities.
The transition was difficult. Mutlu and her older sister, Birsu, were toddlers. Learning English was a great struggle for their parents, Seyfettin and Nevin. They all missed their homeland and closeknit community. But Seyfettin and Nevin made great efforts to establish a very Turkish household, insisting that only Turkish be spoken at home.
They decorated their first apartment with the few textiles they took with them. Nevin handcrafted the rest. “And the best food was in my mother’s kitchen,” says Mutlu. Meat and vegetables cooked in olive oil, bulgur, borek and baklava … in time, Mutlu would share these dishes with her own children.
Seyfettin began a job at the Department of Agriculture. The family was adjusting to life as young immigrants when their dear uncle relocated to New Jersey. Suddenly, New Jersey became their new mecca. In 1976 the Bascillars celebrated the bicentennial in their new New Jersey home, close to their uncle and a more robust Turkish community.
On their way to citizenship, readjusting yet again but with a greater sense of belonging, they could now taste the American dream – with a hint of cumin. Mutlu met her husband, Steven Feldman, at Rutgers University. They call Maplewood home, having raised their two children, Serin and Jeremy, with family help nearby. “Despite the fact that my kids are half-Turkish and don’t speak the language, their Turkishness is still very important to them,” she says. “The food and traditions they see passed down through my heritage is a priceless gift.”
Taking a cue from her parents, Mutlu adorns her home with distinctive Turkish objects, a growing collection from more than a dozen trips to Turkey combined with inherited treasures. In her kitchen, a copper cezve sits on the stove ready to brew a pot of Turkish coffee. Ceramics of all sizes and patterns and colors are begging to be filled, perhaps with lentil soup or yogurt. Mutlu is most famous in her circles for her baklava, one of many dishes she learned from her mother. When Jeremy recently asked her to supervise his making baklava, she says, “I was so proud. Considering it was his first time, it tasted as good as it looked.”
The following Baked E g g p l a n t Kofte recipe is indigenous to the Bascillars’ region of southern Turkey. Kofte is middle eastern-style seasoned ground meat similar to hamburger or meat loaf, hearty but not heavy. It is traditionally served with Turkish rice, salad, and a dollop of cacik, a yogurt dip made with cucumber, mint and dill. Nevin often prepares an extra tray to-go as an expression of love for her family.
Turkish Baked Eggplant Kofte
KOFTE (MEATBALL) INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound ground lamb (or beef or mixture of both)
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 2 slices stale bread (crusts removed)
• small bowl of water for wetting hands and shaping kofte
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 small bunch finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo red pepper flakes or Turkish Maras pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
OTHER INGREDIENTS
• 2 medium (or 3 small) Chinese eggplants
• 1 green bell pepper (or hot pepper) deseeded and sliced in chunks
• 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (to coat eggplant slices)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup warm water
• ¼ teaspoon ground oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. To prepare meatball mixture, soak bread in water, squeeze dry and crumble into a large bowl. Add onion, egg, parsley and spices and mix well. Add ground meat and knead thoroughly. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate while prepping other ingredients.
3. Slice eggplants into 3/4-inch circles, spread on large tray and sprinkle with salt. After 10 minutes, squeeze out excess moisture with paper towels and return to clean tray.
4. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil over eggplant slices. Using hands, gently rub olive oil and seasoning into slices.
5. To shape meatballs, dampen hands in cold water. Hand roll walnut-sized mounds of mixture into balls as wide as eggplant slices and slightly flatten. Place them aside until ready for assembly. 6. Using a 10-inch round baking dish, place a slice of eggplant (upright) alongside a meatball patty. Keep alternating in fairly tight formation around the dish and into center. (Or use a square or rectangular dish, placing eggplant slices and meatballs in rows.)
7. Tuck coarsely sliced peppers and tomato slices atop/between eggplant and meatball layers.
8. For sauce, combine garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, water and seasonings in a small bowl.
9. Pour sauce over the whole baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Remove foil and spoon baking sauce over eggplant and meatballs. Bake 30 minutes longer until ingredients are fork-tender and slightly charred. Broil the top for more color.
11. To serve, drizzle baking sauce over each portion, accompanied by rice pilaf and yogurt
Ilysse Rimalovski is a well-seasoned home chef, writer and culinary producer in Maplewood teaching cooking workshops at the Maplewood Senior Center. Have food questions or need inspiration? Visit Ilysse Ideally on Facebook, or send email to forilysse@icloud.com.