A few weeks back Eva Longoria posted her take on Bobby Flay’s recipe of Eggplant Milanese. I had to put my own signature on the dish and the result is spectacular even though I say so myself. There is textural as well as taste contrast and I would make it again in a heartbeat. Milanese style is a fancier way of saying crumbed!
My tip choose even shaped eggplants – shouldn’t be too narrow around the neck and bulbous at the bottom. You can cut eggplants lengthwise but I prefer the rounds.
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggplants, cut into ½ to 1 cm thick rounds
½ cup plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1½ cups Panko breadcrumbs
Canola oil for pan frying
For the lemon yoghurt dressing
½ cup plain unsweetened Greek style yoghurt
60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
For serving
Quality balsamic vinegar
Handfuls of baby rocket
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the eggplant rounds. Place rounds on the tray so they don’t overlap or touch one another. Roast in oven for 15 minutes.
For the lemon yoghurt dressing
While eggplants are roasting, prepare the lemon yoghurt dressing. Measure out the Greek style yoghurt and olive oil into a small bowl. Zest and then juice the lemon into the bowl. Add the minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir with a fork to combine. Set aside.
Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs with a splash of cold water, season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Put the breadcrumbs in third shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Dredge one of the roasted slices of eggplant in the flour, coating both sides, then tap off excess. Dip the slice into the egg mixture and let the excess egg drip off, then dredge in the breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs to make sure that they adhere. Place on the rack and repeat with the rest of the eggplant slices. Let the eggplant rest for 15 -20 minutes. The longer the breading sits at room temperature the crisper the eggplant will get.
Heat 1/2 cup of canola oil in the pan over high until it begins to shimmer. Add one or two slices of eggplant and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to the baking rack. Repeat with remaining slices.
To serve, spoon a dollop of the lemon yoghurt dressing in the centre of the plate. Arrange three pieces of eggplant. Top with a handful of baby rocket and squirt some balsamic vinegar to finish off. Serves 4 as a starter.