As part of my 21 for 21, I’m working through making all the recipes from “Eggplant” a cookbook by Raquel Pelzel. I made my first recipe today, a little later in the year than planned, but the recipe book isn’t very large, so I should be able to make all the recipes by the end of the year.
The recipe is called Fried Eggplant Sticks with Sriracha-Blue Cheese Dip, so I was surprised there wasn’t any hot sauce in the dip.
Here’s my review:
The eggplant sticks turned out pretty well. I would give them three stars. I think if someone made them for me, that would jump to four or five stars. I don’t love frying things. I must say, frying is where restaurants are far superior to me. I typically prefer my food cooked at home, but the mess and imperfection of frying vegetables at home is a lot of work.
This recipe had you dip the eggplant in flour, then egg and then breadcrumbs/panko crumbs. Then you fry the eggplant in oil and finally make a dip. The dip was very good, despite no sriracha. It’s mostly a sour cream, mayonnaise and blue cheese blend.
The eggplant softens as it fries, while the breadcrumb coating gets nice and crispy for a nice texture.
Overall, I’d say it’s a good recipe, but I’d have to say, I won’t make it again, because of the aforementioned lack of enjoying frying foods at home. This recipe may be perfect for the air fryer, though, which I have not yet purchased.
Stay tuned to see how the rest of my eggplant adventures go.
Until next time, eat well and be well.
Tiffany Lynn Young 