You’ll thank me
Ingredients:
One eggplant per person (though we ate two each!!)
Panko bread crumbs
Flour
Water
Seasoning (we used chicago, paprika, oregano)
Oil for frying
For the garnish - you can do what you want BUT this caprese topping was SLAMMIN'
Tomatoes
Garlic
Mozzarella cubed
Basil
Salt and Pepper
Balsamic Glaze (used as a topper)
How to do this:
Don't do ANYTHING to the eggplant - leave their top stem on!! That's KEY!!
Using a fork poke hole in the eggplants (like you do potatoes). Put on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 mins at 400 degrees. They should be soft when done. Let them cool and pull the skin off. Literally use your fingers.. don't get weird. Once they are skinned - use a fork to flatten them. Don't get crazy on them though - just make them flatter - not FLAT AS PAPER. Use a clean towel or a ton of paper towel to pat these puppies dry dry dry so the batter sticks.
Mix up 1 part flour to 1.25 part water and some seasoning of choice to make a loosey paste. So if it's just two eggplant use 1/2 cup flour to 3/4 cup water. If you make more (which you should - see how to use the next day below) just keep the ratio similar. This isn't rocket science.. you should be able to drag the thing in it without it feeling like toothpaste...
Take your eggplant and drag it through heavily seasoned panko. both sides... pat it in ...
From there - put it in a shallow frying pan with oil and fry. frying until crisp on both sides. I am a bit of a hippy so I use mediocre olive oil (not the good stuff we usually use) for this so it takes a while because you have to keep the heat down in order to not burn your oil. So if you're frying in veggie or canola - you're good to crank it - that shit is so synthetic you can't burn it!! If you're using more sensitive nut oils - know your smoke point!!
The topping - Chop all of the shit up and toss in a bowl. We tend to keep the balsamic as a garnish though and not mix that in. Put it on top. VOILA - I have just changed your mind on eggplant!!
How to eat leftovers the next day:
I recommend the night before having one too many glasses of wine or beer in order to make the most of the leftovers....Using some of KY Millstones sourdough bread - make an eggplant parmesan sandwich - leftover fried eggplant - mozzarella and parm cheese - tomato sauce. Warm. Eat. Take a Nap..