Maws Eggplant Fritters Recipes

EGGPLANT FRITTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut eggplant in half; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place in oven; cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven; when cool enough to handle, scoop flesh into a strainer to drain. Transfer drained eggplant to a bowl; add garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan, egg, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Form mixture into 2-inch patties.
• Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Place frisee on serving platter; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with fritters.

MAW MAW'S EGGPLANT DRESSING

Steps:

• 1. Brown ground beef and add onion and bell pepper as you brown it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 2. Boil whole eggplants until tender.
• 3. When eggplants are tender, peel and cut into bite size chunks. ( I like to remove the seeds but this is optional)
• 4. Add eggplant to meat mixture and add rice. Simmer another 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and red pepper to taste.
• 5. *Hint - If you prefer using bread to rice, use 3 slices stale or toasted white bread. Wet bread and squeeze out water. Add bread to meat mixture and cook 10 minutes.

SWEET EGGPLANT FRITTERS

Steps:

• 1. Mix well all ingredients together, except milk. Add enough milk to make a thick batter. (Should be softer than a drop biscuit dough, but thicker and heavier than a pancake batter.)
• 2. Place about 1/2" of vegetable oil in heavy skillet, heat. When the oil becomes hot enough, drop batter by tablespoons full into the hot oil.
• 3. Fry until browned. Turn and fry the other side.
• 4. Drain on paper towels.
• 5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• 6. Note: I have made these on a griddle sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray. I did have to thin the batter a little more than usual, but it worked well enough. It is a great way to take out some of the calories and cholesterol if you are concerned about that.

EGGPLANT FRITTERS

Steps:

• Place eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside.
• Combine almond meal, Parmesan cheese, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place beaten eggs in another bowl. Gently pat eggplant slices dry and dip first in eggs, shaking off excess, and then into almond meal mixture. Place breaded eggplant on a plate near the cooking area.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant slices to the hot skillet and cook in batches, turning occasionally until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Place cooked eggplant on the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the preheated oven.

MAW'S EGGPLANT FRITTERS

Steps:

• 1. Peel and cube eggplant.
• 2. Cook in boiling, salted water until tender.
• 3. Drain well and mash.
• 4. Beat eggs.
• 5. Blend in flour, sugar, baking powder, eggplant, salt and pepper.
• 6. Drop by spoonful into cooking oil. Brown on both sides.
• 7. Drain well on paper towels.

EGGPLANT FRITTERS

Steps:

• Beat together besan, rice flour, and water in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer at high speed 6 minutes. Beat in nigella seeds and salt, then let stand, covered, at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Test batter: Drop a teaspoon of it into a bowl of water. It should float, even though part may be submerged. If it sinks, batter should be beaten more, testing after each minute of mixing. Be careful not to overbeat, because that will produce a honeycomb texture, and then fritters will absorb too much oil.
• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then halve each slice lengthwise, forming roughly 5- by 2-inch slices.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Dip about 4 eggplant slices in batter, 1 at a time, letting excess drip off, and fry until browned and tender, about 1 minute on each side. (You will have just enough batter for all of eggplant.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Keep fritters warm in 1 layer on a baking sheet in oven and fry remaining eggplant in batches in same manner.
• Available at Indian markets and Kalustyan's (212-685-3451).

EGGPLANT FRITTERS

Steps:

• Place shredded eggplant on a paper towel and lightly sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Use another paper towel to press down on it to remove excess moisture.
• Saute eggplant for 2-3 minutes in margarine, and allow to cool.
• Place eggplant in a bowl and mix with feta, green onions, dill, parsley, eggs, flour salt & pepper.
• In deep frying pan fill with oil about 1/4" deep.
• Form small patties and fry until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Enjoy.

SMOKY EGGPLANT CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Place the whole eggplants directly on the burner grids of the stovetop, and turn the flames to high. Let each eggplant start to blister, and steam, and char, turning each one a quarter turn every 3 or 4 minutes, until softened and hissing inside, the skins utterly blackened and cracked, and the flesh collapsing, 12 to 15 minutes. (You could also blister them under the broiler, set on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet a couple of inches from the heat and cook until charred all over.)
• Remove the eggplants to a bowl. Cover with a lid or overturned bowl, and let them rest until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Give this the time it takes; it will help with peeling them later and also lets them steep in their smoky juices. You can do this step ahead and let them cool in the refrigerator overnight as well, to be peeled the next day, which works beautifully.
• Remove the scorched, carbonized skin from the soft, cooked-through eggplant. Discard all the black, bitter charred bits.
• Strain the remaining eggplant, and save all the viscous smoky liquid that accumulates. I usually "rinse" the peeled eggplants in this strained liquid to remove any lingering flakes or chips of charred skin from the eggplant flesh. (Sometimes people are tempted to run the eggplant under the faucet for a second to remove the flecks, but using the liquid in the bowl is much better at retaining flavor.)
• Chop the flesh to a fine dice, and place in a bowl. (I generally never remove the seeds unless I have bought an intensely loaded eggplant, in which case I'll remove them if the seed sacs are pronounced and distracting.)
• Stir in 3 tablespoons of the reserved smoky liquid, and the olive oil, then Microplane the garlic into the mixture. Season with salt, and stir well until the mixture is a bit creamy. Taste, and season to your palate by adding a few more drops of the smoky liquid or a few more of olive oil. I like mine rather smoky, rather salty, rather unctuous.
• Spread the eggplant mixture into an 8-inch square, about 1/2-inch thick, on a quarter sheet pan lined with a quarter-cut Silpat mat. Most people will not have these two things, so alternatively you can form a neat square or rectangle on a cookie sheet, or spoon the mixture into generally quenelled shapes onto a cookie sheet. Freeze overnight.
• Prepare the croquettes: Set up a standard breading procedure of three containers: flour, egg and water mixture, and the ground panko.
• Cut the frozen block of smoky eggplant into 2-inch squares, or batons or planks if you prefer. Refreeze for a bit if needed after cutting; they tend to defrost rather quickly. Bread each piece with care, dipping in flour, egg mixture then panko, leaving no bald spots, and refreeze the finished, breaded croquettes. (These can live in your freezer for months.)
• Add enough neutral oil to a deep-sided sauté pan to reach a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and heat over medium until shimmering, or when a thermometer reads 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry the frozen croquettes until golden on all sides and piping hot in the center, raising and lowering the heat under the oil accordingly. Adding frozen products to hot oil brings the temperature down, as does crowding, so it is up to the cook to control the temperature of the fry oil accordingly. Remove cooked croquettes with a slotted spoon, and drain on a baker's rack to maintain crispness (rather than a paper towel or plate, which will encourage steaming and sogginess).
• Sprinkle with a little salt while still very hot, and serve with a squeeze of lemon.

EGGPLANT FRIES

Steps:

• For dipping sauce:
• Whisk yogurt, chopped pickle, lemon zest, and oregano in a small bowl to blend. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• For fries:
• Place eggplant in a large bowl. Add 2 cups ice and enough water to cover. Place a plate on top of eggplant to weigh it down. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Pour oil into a large deep pot to a depth of 2". Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of pot and heat oil over medium heat to 325°F.
• Meanwhile, whisk rice flour, lemon zest, za'atar, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon sea salt in a medium bowl to blend. Drain eggplant. Working in batches, toss damp eggplant in flour mixture to coat.
• Working in batches, fry eggplant, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per batch. (Reheat oil to 325°F between batches.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with lemon juice and sea salt. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.