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Okay, that's a bold statement, but try this! Eggplant cake with aioli
dressing combines the tartness of red wine vinegar with the woody boldness
of rosemary, for a truly delightful antipasti Italian recipe that will
dazzle your friends and dinner guests.
Italian eggplant cake is boldly impressive, elegant in taste
and presentation. Be ready to give out the recipe to everyone you grace with
this glorious but simple Italian recipe. We have reprinted it countless
times over the past decade or so. In other words, eggplant cake really
"rocks"!
Now, that said, you probably think this requires a "ton" of
work, right?
Wrong!
If you have a "vessel" even resembling a deep and round cake
pan (we use the plastic top of a cake dish), then you will find this so
surprisingly easy you won't believe it.
But, do believe it. This is easy and it will promote you as
a truly, creative Italian gourmet cook. You deserve the praise, too, for
venturing into Italian gourmet territory. We "salute" you with a glass of
soft, Italian red.
New Italian Recipes Presents:
Italian Eggplant Cake With Aioli Dressing
Ingredients:
2-3 (depending on the size of your "vessel") large, fresh eggplants, peeled
and sliced crosswise into 3/4" slices. Choose ones that are firm and
unblemished, this dish deserves it.
3 eggs, beaten for egg wash
2-3 Tablespoons, fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
Sea salt (preferably) and freshly ground black Pepper (no substitute here)
˝ cup flour
Dry, seasoned Italian bread crumbs. (The exact measurement here will vary
depending on the number of eggplants, but about 1 cup. You want them to be
fully coated, not just dusted)
Sauce:
6-10 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup fruity red wine, such as a quality white zin or cabernet sauvignon
About 1/4 cup fresh rosemary (leaves only, just peel them off of the stems).
You can chop them into smaller pieces if you like, but we just add them
whole.
2 bay leaves (be sure to remove this before it gets into the dish)
Freshly ground black pepper (if you are fortunate enough to have Tellicherry
in your pantry, use it for this dish.
See herb and spice dictionary. A Large, round cake pan or plastic bowl.
Once again, we use a two or three layer sized plastic round
cake pan lid. And it works really well. Tip: Use the same pan you use when
you make the
timpano recipe.
Preparation:
Place eggplant slices in a large colander or two in sink.
Lightly salt each eggplant slice and stack them in
colander(s).
Place a plate upside down over eggplant stacked slices and
place "weight" on the plate. We use large, economy sized, canned foods for
this. You could use bricks, even, anything that will press down firmly the
stacked eggplant slices so some of the liquid will drain out.
Leave for about 1/2 hour.
When you remove the eggplant slices, wipe them off with a
paper towel. This eliminates most of the salt and the "clinging" droplets.
For serious Italian gourmet chefs, this process eliminates much of the
eggplants “potential” bitterness. (Really fresh eggplants aren't all that
bitter, but this step is truly a gourmet touch, and I assure you, most
really "adept" Italian Chefs of any renown, use the technique. There's
nothing like going that extra few feet to reach the pinnacle.)
Make the sauce by placing all ingredients into a medium
sauce pan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes, but do not
reduce. You're just marrying the flavors.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
You'll need three dishes to dip and bread the eggplants,
large enough for the flour, Italian bread crumbs and the beaten eggs.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté
pan or wok, to 350 degrees.
Dip the eggplants slices in the flour first, just enough to
dust both sides.
Next, dip the slices into the egg, both sides, then coat
both sides well with the Italian bread crumbs.
Next, right into the hot oil until both sides are medium
brown.
Take them out one by one with tongs, shake off the excess
oil and layer them without overlapping any more than necessary on the bottom
of the plastic cake pan. Drip some of the sauce mixture over the 1 layer of
slices to coat fairly liberally. (Make sure you’ve removed the bay leaf, we
don't want anybody biting into that.)
Repeat with the remaining eggplant, always coating
individual layers with the sauce before adding next layer.
Repeat until you reach the top of your dish, or until you
run out of eggplant.
You can leave this just like it is, covered with tin foil or
plastic, for at least a week. It just gets better with age.
Just before serving, warm eggplant along with the aioli
dressing featured below.
Aioli Dressing:
1 large garlic clove, peeled 1/4 t salt 1 egg yoke, coddled (place the whole
egg in boiling water for 1 minute, remove and run cold water over it until
you can crack it and extract the yoke). 4-5 T extra virgin olive oil 4 T
mayonnaise
In a metal or wooden bowl, (or with a
mortar and pestle) crush the garlic well with the salt as a grinding
agent.
Add the egg and mix it in.
Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly.
Mix in the mayonnaise with a whisk until smooth and
thorougly combined.
To serve:
Ladle a bit of the warm aioli over individual slices of eggplant, 2-3 pieces
per serving.
These seem like a lot of steps, we know, but eggplant cake
is really easy. And fun. And it's about as good of an appetizer or first
course, even a tapas (mini meal) course, as you'll ever find!
Enjoy the "creation" of this dish, along with the
"consuming". And think of us while your eyes are watering with "crocodile"
tear pleasure.
We really, really think you'll love this. and if you do, tip
a glass of cabernet in our direction, huh?
Buon appetito always!
Brought to you with love from
Aunt Aletha and Dear Old Dave
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