Eggplant cotolette are an excellent appetizer or vegetarian main course, perfect to accompany a fresh salad. They are prepared in a short amount of time and are irresistible, to children and even to those who are not vegetarian! They are breaded and fried, but if you're battling with your weight don't be discouraged, you can bake your eggplant cutlets instead. You won’t be disappointed!
Most suitable oil to use for frying
Without a doubt fried food isn’t for every day and if done correctly it doesn’t need to be criticized. The most correct way to fry is to heat the oil to 175°C, a temperature that allows the food to cook in a short time without absorbing too much of the oil. The oil must be extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil because these types of oils have a higher smoking point than all the others.
If you can't fry...
Don't worry! If you’re watching your figure, you can still prepare eggplant cutlets by baking them in the oven. In this case prepare a baking tray covered with baking paper, place your breaded eggplant slices next to each other, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over each one and bake at 180° for about 30 minutes.
A few ideas to make them even better!
If you really want to make this dish special, try mixing the breadcrumbs with chopped aromatic herbs: it will give a touch of freshness to your eggplant. If you want a more substantial cutlet then add a slice of ham and an Emmental-style cheese to the eggplant slice: you'll have to flour them all together, dip them in beaten eggs and then breadcrumbs. In this way they will stay compact together when frying and the result will be unforgettable to say the least.
How to make eggplant cutlets
Ingredients
1 violet eggplant, 4 oz grated cheese, flour, breadcrumbs, salt, extra virgin olive oil, 4 eggs.
Method
Take the eggplant, wash it, dry it, remove the petiole, and cut it into 1.5 cm slices. Flour each slice, then pass it through the beaten eggs to which you have added a pinch of salt and grated cheese. Then finally pass them through the breadcrumbs. Make the breadcrumbs stick well by lightly pressing the slices of eggplant in your hands. In the meantime, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan. When it is hot enough, fry a few slices of eggplant at a time and when they are ready, remove them from the pan with a skimmer. Place them on a plate covered with absorbent paper so that they lose the excess oil. Keep them warm before serving.