Eggplant fries: guilt-free snacking
The texture is meaty, but the food is not.
Eating vegetables is an insufferable affair for some folks. They do it because it’s good for the body, not because it brings much pleasure. Yet, getting a fill of veggies doesn’t have to mean a boring bowl of rabbit vittles.
In her 2016 cookbook, “The Vegetable Butcher,” author Cara Mangini explores the abundant ways with produce as she treats everything from carrots to leeks to turnips like she would a fine cut of meat.
Mangini’s recipe for baked eggplant fries is a fine example of her reverence for vegetables, and one in which the finished dish seems like it should come with a heavy serving of remorse. Nope. These (peel-on!) fries are good for you, and tasty, too. That my husband mistook these for meat sticks (although I don’t know what those would be, apart from beef jerky) is a good sign for the carnivorous crowd.
My favorite rendition of this recipe takes a wholly Italian turn. It axes za’atar and uses Italian-style breadcrumbs, not plain. It also includes a few sprinkles of fresh Parmesan to garnish, along with the prescribed parsley.
Mangini offers an accompanying recipe for tomato-basil ketchup for dipping. I don’t have time to make from-scratch ketchup. I do have five seconds to squeeze a lot of Heinz into a ramekin, add a few splashes of quality balsamic and stir.
BAKED EGGPLANT FRIES
Give your eggplant some butcher treatment. Cookbook
author Cara Mangini breaks down how to cut a globe eggplant destined for fries: Cut the stem and base off the eggplant, then halve it crosswise, separating the round, broader end from the more narrow stem end. Place the eggplant (or a piece of eggplant) on its widest cut end and cut downward into slabs. 6 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil, divided
1 large globe eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-wide by 3-inch-long sticks
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, plus extra as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra as needed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (plain or with Italian seasoning) 3/4 cup cornmeal (fine or
medium grind) 1 tablespoon za’atar
(optional)
Small handful coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and/or basil leaves, for garnish Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with 2 tablespoons of olive oil each.
Place the eggplant sticks in a large bowl and toss them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to coat.
Lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cornmeal and the za’atar (if you are using it).
Place a handful of eggplant sticks in the beaten eggs and turn them to coat fully. Gently remove them one by one with the tongs, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl, and place them in the crumb mixture. Use your fingers or another set of tongs to turn the sticks in the crumb mixture until they are fully coated, then place them on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process until all the sticks are coated, spreading them out in a single layer on the baking sheets.
Bake the eggplant sticks until just tender, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, flip them over and bake until they are golden and crispy, another 10 to 15 minutes. (The fries can be made up to 2 hours in advance and stored, uncovered, on a cooling rack at room temperature. Transfer them back to the baking sheets and crisp them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.)
Sprinkle the eggplant fries with the remaining
1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper to taste, then top with a sprinkle of chopped herbs and Parmesan cheese (if using). Serve immediately with ketchup. Serves 3 to 4.