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.
Eggplant Milanese
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggplants, cut into ½ to 1 cm thick rounds
Chaat meets Nachos – East meets West in this dish. This fusion really works – I used corn chips instead of papadi and created “Chaachos”. To add to the authenticity of chaat, I used ragda instead of refried beans, tamarind sauce and of course coriander chutney. Incidentally tamarind is used in Mexican cooking.
Romesco sauce has its origins in the region of Catalonia in
Spain. The fishermen in this area made this sauce to eat with fish. I think
asparagus and Romesco is a wonderful match.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan forced. Line two
large baking trays with baking paper.
Boil the potatoes in their skins. Allow to cool and peel the
skin. Cut cooked potatoes in a one centimetre dice.
Heat oil in a large fry pan over a medium heat. Sauté the
onion for a couple of minutes and add the chopped cashew pieces. Continue
frying till the cashew pieces are golden brown. Add the curry powder, turmeric
and chilli powder. Fry briefly and then add the potato pieces. Add salt and
sprinkle a couple of table spoons of water. Cover and cook for about four to
five minutes. Set aside to cool.
Cut each piece of pastry into squares. Place a tablespoon of
the potato mixture in the middle of each square (using your fingers to evenly
spread). Make sure you leave a 1 centimetre border around the edge. Fold to
form a triangle. Press the edges with a fork to seal.
Place the “puffs” on prepared tray. Brush with egg and bake
for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Serve hot with coriander and tamarind chutney. Makes 16
puffs.
CORIANDER AND TAMARIND CHUTNEY
INGREDIENTS
1 plus ½ cup of chopped coriander stems, roots and leaves
3-4 hot green chillies chopped (I used cayenne)
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Salt to taste
METHOD
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine paste.
Allow to rest at least an hour before serving.
