I was in the Fresh Market the other day and saw some small eggplant. Normally they are at least a third bigger, but I don’t need that much, and I’ve never had that good of fortune with frying eggplant and making it like some of those delicious fried eggplants I’ve had at a few Italian restaurants. I picked one of these up, and weighed. The small eggplant weighed a half a pound which would make it cost about a dollar.

I’ve looked up several fried eggplant recipes online, but I’m feeling like combining some of the processes into a single process.

I think I will not cut the outer skin off the eggplant, but first cut into thin slices. Then apply salt to both sides of the sliced eggplant and let sit, covered until some of the moisture is leeched from the slices. Pour the liquid off. *I think I recall that someone explained that applying the salt would leech out both moisture and some of the bitterness.

I’m now thinking of adding an extra step and soaking the desiccated eggplant slices in buttermilk. And, I’m going to make my own buttermilk by adding a slight amount of vinegar to milk.

After the slices sit in the buttermilk for a while, I’ll dredge them in a mixture of panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese and some herbs as marjoram, and Italian Seasoning, and garlic powder with some S&P.

Then I’ll fry in a pan, on the stove top, the slices turning after they brown on each side. Let them drain on paper towels after they are done.

I’m thinking I might use RAO’s Marinara sauce as my dipping sauce, although I might want to sneak in some fresh basil (which I currently do not have) or some ground basil into the sauce. Maybe making a horseradish sauce, and/or a version of the Cilantro-Lime Dressing. Funny how I seem to want to sneak in cilantro into this recipe. I’ve also added part of a package of powdered Ranch Dressing into the Cilantro-Lime Dressing and it was pleasing.

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It’s 4:32 am and I just finished cutting up my small eggplant and salting it. Even this small eggplant is way too much for one, or maybe even two helpings and I am going to have to throw away some of it, but it looks good and I made the slices about a quarter inche wide. I started cutting at the small end and when I got a little over half way, I cut that pience in half and made the rest of the slices “half rounds.” I then took a big Rubbermaid bowl and salted the slices. They were moist, although I hadn’t rinsed them so the salt stuck wherever it landed. Not sure of how to salt them so that the salt is evenly distributed, but I’m pretty sure there will be a good amount of liquid after I’m through.

An AI definition of homemade buttermilk:

Adding a little vinegar to milk creates soured milk or a homemade substitute for buttermilk. The acid in the vinegar causes the protein in the milk (casein) to curdle and thicken. This gives it a slightly tangy flavor and a thicker consistency, making it useful in baking recipes where buttermilk is called for, as it helps with leavening and tenderness.

It’s 10:04 am and I’ve just drained the salted eggplant, made a little homemade buttermilk (vinegar & milk). I didn’t recall that the leeched moisture would be an amber color, but it is. I poured the leeched water off, and then ran some tap water over all and then poured that water off immediately.

I then decided to only cook about a third to a half of the eggplant slices in this “first go around.” I guess, if they turn out well, that would be incentive to fix another batch. If not, into the can they go.

So, I’m about to pour the homemade buttermilk into the first batch of eggplant slices and that will give me at least an hour to marinate them before I dry them off and then coat them with a mixture of Panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese and Italian herbs and S&P. I did add some onion and garlic powder to the mix, and some marjoram.

I fried the first batch on the stovetop and they turned out good. Probably the best I’ve ever made at home, but not the best I’ve ever had in an Italian restaurant. *I froze the second batch and left it in the buttermilk. Hoping to thaw it quickly, bread, and cook it tomorrow or the next day. Used the Rao’s Marinara sauce out of the jar and it was fine.