SWEET & SOUR EGGPLANT

In Italy's boot and heel, eggplant reigns supreme. Whether fried, char-grilled or teamed with red sauce, this ink-purple verdura is at the heart of countless rustic recipes.

Historically, Italy's south was poorer and more rural than the north.  Its cuisine reflects this reality -- rich in  local vegetables and seafood but short on more expensive red meats.  Carne -- beef, pork and lamb -- was a pricey treat reserved for Sunday dinners or dry-cured as salami.

In southern Italian kitchens, eggplant fills the role that cutlets or steak play in richer regions.  People make eggplant meatballs (polpette di melanzane) throughout the south, substituting ground meat with eggplant and bread crumbs.  

Melanzane in agrodolce is common in Sicly, Calabria and Campania.  Grilled or pan-fried eggplant are dressed in a tangy slurry of red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic and herbs.  Porous eggplant will sponge up the tart marinade.  Because the glaze is vinegar-based, the dish will last up to a week in the fridge.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

SUPERMARKET TIP:

Italian eggplants are thinner, longer and all-around tinier than American supermarket varietals.  If possible, look for either "Italian eggplant" or "Japanese eggplant."  Gigantic eggplants can have a bitter taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 or 5 eggplants, cubed
• 1 sweet onions, diced
• 1 cup of good red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon capers
• Fresh mint or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt & pepper

Cut the eggplants into cubes. For tips on cubing an eggplant, go here: How to cube an eggplant

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In a large frying pan, heat 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Olive oil has a low burn temperature, so be careful not to get it too hot.  It will smoke and taste bad.  Pan fry the cubed eggplant until each cube has softened and is golden brown / lightly caramelized on all sides -- about 8-10 minutes.  Cook the eggplant in batches. You won't be able to cook it all at once.  

Fry about 20 cubes at a time.  You may need to add more olive oil after cooking a batch.  Remove the browned eggplant and place it in a large mixing bowl.  Then, cook the onion on medium-low heat in the same pan until translucent. Add the cooked onion to the bowl with the caramelized eggplant.
Photo: www.ideericette.it

When the eggplant is done, make the marinade.  Whisk the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, fresh herbs, capers and sugar together in a bowl.   If you are cooking large eggplants, you will need to double the marinade proportions.  Taste the marinade and add salt and pepper.  Pour the marinade over the pan-fried eggplant and onion, tossing the mixture.  Let the eggplant sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes to ensure that the marinade is evenly distributed.  
This photo is from www.mondodelgusto.it

FRIED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

When in Bologna, try the meat sauce. When in Florence, nosh on salami. When in Rome, eat fried food. Both hostarie (fancy-pants restaurants) and pizzerias with vinyl tablecloths serve up fried antipasti in Rome. Conventionally, the fritto misto alla romana is a mix of battered-n-fried veggies and meaty odds and ends (sweetbreads, brain, spinal chord). Romans may love their innards. Visitors, well, not so much.

 Despite purists' complaints, most restaurants now offer less offal-heavy options: fiori di zucca (fried squash blossoms), olive ascolane (olives stuffed and fried), frittelle di baccalà (salt cod fritters) and mozzarelline fritte (fried mozzarella balls). During the summers, markets in Rome abound with baskets of orange and green zucchini flowers. Restaurants and home cooks buy bags of them and either fry them or serve them sauteed in olive oil over a bed of pasta.

Although other regions in Italy stuff zucchini flowers with ricotta or cured meat, Roman-style fiori di zucca are always made with a lone anchovy and a small bit of mozzarella. Once filled, they get dipped in a yeasty batter and fried -- preferably in vegetable or light (not extra virgin) olive oil.

In a frying pan, pour 3-4 inches of oil and heat to 375 degrees.  If you don't have a frying thermometer, you can test the oil temperature by putting a little drop of the batter in the heated oil. If it sizzles and floats to the surface, it's ready.  If not, keep heating.  Fry the blossoms for 2 min.  They should be crispy & lightly golden on all sides. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and serve immediately.  

 INGREDIENTS:

* 10-15 zucchini flowers

* 2-3 eggs

* 1 cup flour

* 4 tablespoons of beer

* Vegetable oil sufficient for frying

* 1 fresh mozzarella ball sliced into thin strips

* Anchovy fillets (or none if you don't like the taste)

Wash the zucchini blossoms and gently pat them dry with a paper towel; remove the tough and spiny base of the flower. Be careful -- it can be prickly and stick to your fingers.  Then, place a thin sliver of mozzarella in each flower and, if you want, one small anchovy. Do not to over-stuff.  Cheese melts during frying but we want it inside the blossom and not oozing out.  Set aside the filled blossoms.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs (yolks and whites) with a fork. Bit by bit, sift the flour in, stirring constantly to avoid clumps.  Once your pastella is the consistency of thick pancake batter, add the beer and whisk.  Dip the flowers in batter, letting any extra pastella drip off.