Eggplant Fries

The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box of the week has once again forced me to learn to cook something new. This week, eggplant. I cooked eggplant once and something went horribly wrong. It tasted like cat butt. At least, what I think cat butt would be like. That was about 12 years ago. Upon the arrival of the eggplants last Friday, I knew I had to give it another shot. I had already contributed to the compost pile with the parsley and mint that arrived and wanted to use what I paid for. What do humans do with fresh parsley, other than garnish? These eggplants scared me, right down to my core. Since last year, I have grown more brave. After the chard chips and bok choy meals I made, I felt ready to take on the eggplant. My neighbor mentioned eggplant fries last year and that's what I went for. The prep was easy. I overcooked them somewhat. The thinner sliced ones sind of disintegrated on the inside, but the breading stayed intact. They could have used some more seasoning. They were very yummy, none the less. Here's the recipe, which I will probably modify on the next batch!

3/4 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Medium eggplant
1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat over to 425
Mix breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, cheese, and garlic powder on  shallow plate. Beat egg in a shallow bowl. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Peel the eggplant. Slice into thick french fry like pieces. Did in egg and then in breadcrumb mixture. Cook for 30 minutes. Check at that time for crispiness. Cook longer as needed. Serve with marinara. Ketchup works well, too!

Hope you enjoy! Don't be scared.