Deep Fried Eggplant

This recipe hails from an Australian chef, Curtis Stone, whom I have been following ever since his days at Surfing The Menu show with Ben O’Donoghue. Curtis is currently doing a reality cooking show called,’Take Home Chef‘. He’s very entertaining to watch and like all good chefs, comes up with meals that are relatively easy to prepare.

Serves 4-6 (as an appetizer)
recipe from Curtis Stone’s book, Cooking with Curtis

1 eggplant, thinly sliced crosswise into 16 rounds
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 pound buffalo mozzarella, drained and sliced crosswise into 8 equal pieces
8 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
4 cups vegetable oil
tomato sauce, warmed

Place eggplant rounds in an even layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 10 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place 1 piece of mozzarella on half of the eggplant, followed by 1 piece of basil; sandwich with remaining eggplant. Heat oil in a deep saucepan until it reaches 325 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs each in separate shallow dishes. Coat each eggplant sandwich evenly with flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip in eggs, followed by breadcrumbs to coat.

Working in batches, gently place eggplant sandwiches into hot oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Cut each sandwich into 4 equal portions; serve with tomato sauce.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: These little gems were absolutely delicious! I whipped up a quick puttanesca sauce to dip the eggplant into and I must say it was a winning combination. The eggplant will taste just as wonderful if served at room temperature, just make sure your sauce is warm.