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Elliott and Lena have befriended the farmers that live in the valley below our house.  Not only do these farmers have pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and puppies (one of which Elliott has named Luigi and really wants to adopt), but they also have a huge vegetable garden and an orange grove.  On multiple occasions Elliott has returned home bearing bags of produce and fresh eggs.  Farmers are good people to know!

A few weeks ago the farmer handed Elliott a bag of blood oranges and told him that these were absolutely the last blood oranges of the season.  Feeling nostalgic for my favorite Sicilian delicacy, I took a few photos as Lena and I ate the final orange.

(Am I being absurdly sentimental?  Maybe… but after my friend Desiree moved back to the States, she told me that she can’t get blood oranges there and that its cousin — the Cara Cara orange — costs $1.30 per orange.  So I’ll savor these oranges for as long as I can… especially when they’re given to us for free and were picked from trees growing right outside my house!)

“Mmm… bloody,” Lena’s friend Lucas exclaimed the other day as he bit into a blood orange.

“Now that,” commented his mother, “is a unique word for a two-year-old to have in his vocabulary.”

Next winter, Gil, I’ll give you all the blood oranges you want to eat!

Although there were no oranges in my favorite market truck today, it was loaded with other things.   I bought ruby-red cherries and the first sun-kissed apricots of the summer.  I reached out to touch rock-hard peaches with something akin to reverence; I hadn’t eaten one in almost a year.  That is the comfort of eating seasonally: one delicious thing is just replaced by new ones… all year round!

Recently Elliott and I have been trying to eat more vegetarian meals, especially after reading the fascinating results of this study.  I also am always trying to find new eggplant recipes, because eggplants are cheap, plentiful, and everywhere in Sicily.  This isn’t easy when I don’t particularly like eggplant!  (Do you??)  I have recently learned two great eggplant recipes (a Sicilian pasta dish and an Italian antipasto).   But eggplant and me… still not great friends.

However, when I bit into these uh-may-zing eggplant cutlets at a recent cooking class, I began to reconsider my preferences.  Maybe it’s because everything breaded and fried is delicious?  Here’s how to make them at home:

First, peel and slice the eggplant lengthwise.

Then dip it in beaten eggs.

Dredge the cutlets in a mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and salt.

Fry ’em up in butter.  Or vegetable or olive oil, as you prefer.  (The health study I mentioned earlier would probably recommend olive oil over butter.  Just a guess.)

Remove from the pan and let drain on paper towels.  As soon as they’re cool enough (they’ll burn your tongue!), cut them up and enjoy.

If you don’t have time to do the breading and frying yourself, Trader Joe’s sells pre-cut and pre-breaded eggplant cutlets.  They recommend using them as a meatless main dish and adding a little tomato sauce and cheese on top… yum yum!

I’ve included the kitchen-friendly recipe below.   Do you have an eggplant recipe you love?  Please share any ideas in the comments; I need some new recipes!

Breaded Fried Eggplant Cutlets

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large eggplant
• ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil or butter

DIRECTIONS

• Peel & slice eggplant into ¼ width cutlets
• Dip cutlets in egg wash.
• Dredge eggplant pieces in breadcrumb mixture (breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, & salt).
• Fry eggplant cutlets in vegetable oil or butter in large, non-stick pan until brown on both sides.
• Remove from pan onto paper towels.

Last week some friends and I got together for another cooking class.  This time we learned three classic Italian dishes, and I’ll be sharing step-by-step instructions and recipes over the next few days.  The first recipe is for caponata, also called “eggplant relish,” which is a very traditional Sicilian dish.  The combination of eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, celery, nuts, and vinegar make a tangy, flavorful side dish that my American friends rave about.

Here’s the how-to guide with the complete recipe at the end of the post!

First, cut your eggplant into 2-inch cubes.  Cover with Kosher salt to draw out the bitter taste and let stand while you prepare and fry the peppers.

Cut your peppers in half, remove the seeds and stalk, and then cut them in half again.  Chop the quartered pepper into bite-size pieces.  Fry the pieces in vegetable oil in batches, removing them when a fork will slide into them without resistance.  Remove from pan and put them on a bowl or plate lined with a paper towel.

Return to your eggplant.  Rinse, drain, and dry the eggplant before frying it in small batches until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and put them on a plate lined with a paper towel.  (You can see more explanation about frying eggplant in this post.)

Now make the sugo, or sauce.

To make the “sugo di caponata,” first fry a chopped onion and celery together for 5 minutes.  Then add a 1/2 can of green olives.

Add 1 cup of tomato sauce OR fresh tomatoes and a spoon of tomato paste.  Sautee together with a teaspoon of salt.

After the mixture begins to boil, add in peppers, eggplant, sugar, and apple cider vinegar.  Cook until dissolved and continue to stir for two more minutes.

Finally, add capers, raisins, or pine nuts if desired.  Top with fresh basil.  Buon appetito!

Caponata Recipe

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 2 medium-sized eggplants
• 2 large red peppers
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3 large stalks of celery chopped into large 1-inch pieces
• ½ jar green olives without pimentos
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 1/3 C apple cider vinegar
• 1 C of salsa di pomodoro, passata OR fresh tomatoes with 1 spoon of tomato paste
• Optional additions: capers, raisins, or pine nuts
• Fresh basil leaves

Directions

• Chop eggplants in large (2 inch) chunks.  Place in colander and sprinkle with salt to sit for 30 min-1 hour.
• Deseed peppers, chop into large (2 inch) chunks.  Fry batches in vegetable oil with salt in deep pan until partially done and a fork slides into them easily.  Put in a bowl with paper towels to drain.
• Rinse, drain, and dry eggplant before frying in batches in vegetable oil.  Sprinkle with salt while frying.  Fry until light brown and partially done.  Put in a bowl with paper towels to drain.
• Sugo for Caponata:  Heat up oil in large non-stick pan.  Add diced onion and chopped celery and cook until fried (5 minutes).  (Add more oil if it is dry.)  Add ½ jar whole green olives without pimentos to mix.  Continue to cook until browned.  Add about 1 cup of salsa di pomodoro, passata, or fresh tomatoes and a spoon of tomato paste.  Sautee together stirring constantly.  Add about 1 tsp of salt.
• Add peppers and eggplant. Stir all together over high heat.
• Add two tablespoons of sugar and 1/3 C of apple cider vinegar and mix together until dissolved.  Add to pan and stir.  Cook for two more minutes while stirring.  Salt to taste.
• Add optional ingredients and fresh basil if desired.