Fried Eggplant Cutlets
Ingredients
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Romano Cheese
- 1 cup flour
- 3 eggs beaten
- olive oil enough to fill the frying pan with about 1/4"
Instructions
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Wash your eggplant, and remove skin if concerned over the use of pesticides. If organic, there is no need to peel.
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Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch round slices and drain if you have the time. If draining, just lay slices in a strainer rather than cube them.
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Mix the breadcrumbs and Romano (or Parmesan) cheese in a bowl.
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Place the flour in a second bowl and mix the eggs in a third bowl. You can remove the yolks, and just use egg whites, but add in an extra egg.
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Pour in enough olive oil in a sauce pan so there is about 1/4 inch of olive oil in the pan. Heat to medium-high heat.
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Dip the eggplant in the flour (tap off excess), then egg, then breadcrumbs mixture and place in hot oil.
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Do this for each of the eggplant slices and cook for about 2 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden brown, and flip.
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Cook for about 1 minute more.
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Remove each slice from the pan and place on a paper towel (on a plate) to let the oil drain.
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Continue the process until all slices are used. Add more oil if needed during the process.
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Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
TIP #1: The measurements for the coating will vary depending on the size of the eggplant. You want to make sure the eggplant is well coated with the breadcrumbs, and the egg will help make the breadcrumbs stick.
TIP #2: Do not let the oil get too hot where it will burn the eggplant mixture. But a nice medium high heat should be fine. It should only take 2-3 minutes on the first side.
TIP #3: This recipe goes great with pasta, especially with a red sauce because you can dip the eggplant in the sauce. A marinara sauce is perfect. You can use the sauce also alone as a dipping sauce.
TIP #4: You do not have to use extra virgin olive oil for this. Regular olive oil is fine for frying.
TIP #4: As noted by one of our readers in the comments section, you may need more egg as you go along as it gets rather sticky during the battering process. Don't be shy, use what you need when you need it!