My husband and I both dislike hate eggplant. We avoid it at all costs. But when we started getting them from the CSA (CSA Part Two) I just couldn't see not at least trying to do something with them to make them more edible. So what better way to make something taste better than fry it up and cover it with cheese?!
I have made Chicken Parm a hundred times. I don't do anything special, just bread it using a three step process, pan fry to get it golden brown, and then finish it in the oven with sauce and mozzarella. Simple. Time consuming, but simple. I figured, why not try to do the same thing with the eggplant. I was just getting started and had to take the dog out, started up a conversation with our neighbor (whom we get alone so well with, definitely lucked out there!) and they were saying that the key to getting that bitter taste out of the eggplant is to squeeze out the juice. Who knew?! So I put a weight on the slices and let it sit for a little while. They told me to let it go for an hour or two, an hour or two I did not have. So I just did my best and it seriously made all the difference!
I started by slicing the eggplant really thin and let it sit for a little while on paper towels with a weight to extract the juice...
Then breaded and pan fried...
After, it looked like this, much more appealing...
I added some sauce and fresh mozz...
Cooked it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350, made some spaghetti and voila...
I think it turned out pretty good! And so did my husband.. win, win!
Just goes to show you that you may think you don't like something but if you change it up (or get some advice from a friend) you may just surprise yourself!
JP
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