Vegetables - Alan's Cookbook
Vegetables - Alan's Cookbook
Vegetables - Alan's Cookbook
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Eggplant<br />
Properly made, eggplant is the closest thing in the vegetable<br />
kingdom to butter.<br />
Eggplant<br />
Coarse sea salt<br />
Inexpensive (bulk) olive<br />
oil<br />
Eggplant should be glossy and firm when bought.<br />
Though it can be kept for a few days, it’s really<br />
best to buy it within a day or two of using it.<br />
If you like, peel the eggplant. Slice it into 3/4”<br />
thick slices. Sprinkle some salt in a cereal bowl,<br />
place a slice on it, sprinkle again, place another<br />
piece on top of that, and continue until you’ve<br />
made a tower of all the slices with salt on each<br />
side of every slice. This will sweat the eggplant<br />
and get the excess water out of it.<br />
Let sit for 1/2 hour, draining off water once or<br />
twice. Don’t overdo this; too long and the finished<br />
pieces will be too salty.<br />
Rinse each piece with water, fold in a cloth towel,<br />
and press down hard with the heel of your hand.<br />
One towel should be good for two eggplants.<br />
They’ll look pretty squashed, but fear not, frying<br />
will fix that.<br />
Use 1/8” to 1/4” of oil in a very hot pan, and fry<br />
the slices until golden brown on each side. Drain<br />
onto paper towels. Serve plain or use in<br />
numerous other recipes in this book.<br />
Serves 6<br />
Cooking time: 1 hour<br />
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