Galatoires French Fried Eggplant Recipes

CALABRESE FRIED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• For the eggplant: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking sheet or a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the eggplant, cut-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Make 1/2-inch-deep slits over the surface of the eggplant halves using a paring knife. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake until golden and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
• For the filling: Scoop out 1 cup of flesh from the eggplant, using a spoon, and place in a food processor. Blend until the eggplant is smooth. Add the cheese, breadcrumbs, basil, egg, garlic and parsley. Pulse until the mixture is thick enough to form into balls, adding extra breadcrumbs as needed. Scoop 25 balls of the mixture, each about 2 tablespoons, onto a baking sheet using a small cookie scoop.
• For the sauce: Bring the marinara and red pepper flakes to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.
• For assembly: Pour enough oil into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 4 minutes.) In batches, fry the eggplant balls until golden, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve the fried eggplant warm or cold with marinara sauce and the grated pecorino cheese.

GALATOIRE'S FRENCH FRIED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Peel eggplant and cut into sticks.
• Salt and drain on paper towels for 15-30 minutes.
• Rinse and pat dry.
• Make a batter of milk, egg, salt and pepper.
• Dip eggplant sticks in batter, roll in flour and deep fry until golden.

FRIED EGGPLANT GALATOIRE'S

Steps:

• In a bowl toss eggplant with salt. Cover eggplant directly with a plate and weight with a 1-pound can. Let eggplant stand 1 hour, or until it gives off most of its liquid. Rinse eggplant and drain well. Pat eggplant very dry with paper towels and in a bowl dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
• In a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan heat 1 inch oil to 375°F. on a deep-fat thermometer and fry eggplant in 3 or 4 batches, stirring gently, until golden brown. Transfer eggplant with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Serve eggplant hot with sugar for dipping.

PARMESAN EGGPLANT FRIES WITH BASIL KETCHUP

Steps:

• For the ketchup: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, basil, salt and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes. Remove the garlic, cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use (can be refrigerated for up to 1 week).
• For the fries: Place two racks in the upper and middle thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Insert a wire rack into a large baking sheet.
• Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Combine the panko and the Parmesan in another medium bowl.
• Slice off both ends of the eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and slice each half into 1/2-to-3/4-inch thick layers, then cut each layer into 1/2-inch sticks. After all of the fries are cut, drop them into the flour and lightly toss them to coat evenly. Working in batches of a few at a time, dip the floured fries into the egg and then into the panko mixture. Place the fries on the wire rack in the baking sheet, leaving an 1/8-inch space between each fry.
• Bake the fries until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Season the fries with the remaining salt and serve with Basil Ketchup.