Baked Eggplant "Fries"

Only recently have I come to appreciate the aubergine, or eggplant. As a child, most foods I eventually acquired a taste for, thanks to my parents & their never-fail tactic of "no dessert until the main course is completely finished - & that means a clean plate, don't hide the carrots under the cutlery!" Needless to say, aubergine was one of my 'trouble foods' (other culprits included spaghetti & cooked mushrooms), but one that was never really enforced too strongly - afterall, an aubergine is just one of many vegetables that could make up a varied diet, it's hardly the be-all-&-end-all of a healthy lifestyle. & so, just like that, I started to taste "new foods" again; I grew older, & as through a born-again experience, rediscovered tastes, flavours, appetites. 

Saying all that, a quick disclaimer: I'm not yet wholeheartedly enamoured with the aubergine. I thought I would try this recipe as a means to try & reintroduce this most humble of vegetables back into my diet. Other alternatives I think might work well include sweet potatoes - although don't forget, these take very little time to roast - or just the usual potato, a waxy variety such as Charlotte or Maris Piper.

I served with a light salad of watercress & mixed leaves, grated beet & tenderstem broccoli, dressed with lemon juice & balsamic. Also, a simple aioli of mayo, lemon, salt & garlic, plus a homemade ketchup, a basic, heavily concentrated tomato sauce, adding more sugar & vinegar to encourage a sweet, tart taste.

For 1. Recipe by me.

Recipe:

~ 1 aubergine

~ 1 egg

~ about 1/2 a cup flour

~ 5 tbsp flour

~ 2 tbsp paprika

~ 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or mustard powder

~ sea salt & crushed black pepper

1. Peel & slice the aubergine & cut into 1/2 inch strips.

2. Lightly beat an egg in a shallow dish.

3. Mix the flour, paprika, seasoning & mustard in another dish.

4. Dip the slices of aubergine into the egg, & then into the flour mixture, & then arrange in an oiled roasting tray.

5. Roast for 45 mins on a medium heat, turning halfway through.

6. Serve up & enjoy!

{all photos by me}