Melanzane Fritte
by Antonietta Scanga
(Salida, CO USA)
At 82 years old I still think back and laugh about the first meal I cooked for my wonderful husband. I was just 19 when I came from Italy to the US and I couldn't speak a word of English, let alone read or write it. Raised during WWII I worked and my mother did all the cooking. My father had warned my husband I couldn't cook but Albert married me any way. We were married upon my arrival in his home country, the United States. Challenged to prepare him our first meal I decided I could fry him some eggplants so I started looking for the ingredients and when they were done I was pretty proud of what I had accomplished. My husband arriving home from work sat down to the first meal I had cooked for him. After taking his first bite he smiled and asked where I had found the flour. I proudly went over to the closet and pulled out a bag of wall paper paste. Fortunately I didn't kill any one with my first meal and the story. . . well it will live on for many generations to come. It's still one of my children's and grandchildren's favorites.
INGREDIENTS
1 or 2 eggplants
Salt
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
Olive oil for frying
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
PREPARATION
Cut the eggplant into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Place on slopping plate and sprinkle with salt, let sit for about 2 hours.
Blot with paper towels to remove the liquid. Combine the flour, and baking powder.
Add egg to flour mixture, then add enough of the milk to form a batter. The batter should be thick enough to adhere to the eggplant.
Heat oil over medium high heat.
Dip eggplant and immediately fry in the hot oil.
Put on serving platter and sprinkle with freshly grated cheese.
This same recipe can be used for zucchini.
