Spicy Fried Eggplant

If you grow your own eggplant like we do, you know how hard it is to preserve.  It pretty much has to be eaten as you pick it.  So we're constantly inventing new ways to prepare it.  Here's one we whipped up the other night on a whim.  Turned out so good we decided to blog it.  Enjoy!

Spicy Fried Eggplant

Ingredients

2 medium eggplant

½ cup half & half cream

½ cup milk

1 ½ cup flour

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. turmeric

¼ tsp. sea salt

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated

hot sauce (like Tabasco)

Canola oil

olive oil (or olive oil spray)

Directions

·         Slice the eggplant into ½” thick slices, then into ½” cubes (note: if the eggplant is fresh you don’t need to peel it first, but store-bought eggplant can be bitter if you leave the skins on)

·         Place the half & half cream and the milk in a bowl and add the eggplant cubes, let soak for one hour

·         In a separate bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, turmeric and salt, and whisk together until well mixed

·         Strain the liquid off the eggplant cubes and toss them in the flour mixture until well coated

·         Fill a medium skillet about ¾” deep with Canola and heat over medium until hot

·         Fry the eggplant in the hot oil, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides (you might have to do in several batches)

·         Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil (or olive oil spray)

·         Remove the eggplant from the skillet and place in the baking dish

·         Sprinkle the top with Parmesan and hot sauce, then top off with Mozzarella

·         Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, then broil another 2-3 minutes