Smoky Eggplant Croquettes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Pierce each eggplant with the tip of a knife in about 10 spots. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until very soft and cracking in a few spots, about 50 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Cut each eggplant open lengthwise and scrape out the flesh with a large spoon; discard the skin. Place the flesh in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. Add the parsley, mint, oregano, lemon juice, chiles, salt and olive oil. Puree for 20 seconds to combine. Allow to cool slightly before serving with crackers.

Steps:

• Place the whole eggplants directly on the burner grids of the stovetop, and turn the flames to high. Let each eggplant start to blister, and steam, and char, turning each one a quarter turn every 3 or 4 minutes, until softened and hissing inside, the skins utterly blackened and cracked, and the flesh collapsing, 12 to 15 minutes. (You could also blister them under the broiler, set on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet a couple of inches from the heat and cook until charred all over.)
• Remove the eggplants to a bowl. Cover with a lid or overturned bowl, and let them rest until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Give this the time it takes; it will help with peeling them later and also lets them steep in their smoky juices. You can do this step ahead and let them cool in the refrigerator overnight as well, to be peeled the next day, which works beautifully.
• Remove the scorched, carbonized skin from the soft, cooked-through eggplant. Discard all the black, bitter charred bits.
• Strain the remaining eggplant, and save all the viscous smoky liquid that accumulates. I usually "rinse" the peeled eggplants in this strained liquid to remove any lingering flakes or chips of charred skin from the eggplant flesh. (Sometimes people are tempted to run the eggplant under the faucet for a second to remove the flecks, but using the liquid in the bowl is much better at retaining flavor.)
• Chop the flesh to a fine dice, and place in a bowl. (I generally never remove the seeds unless I have bought an intensely loaded eggplant, in which case I'll remove them if the seed sacs are pronounced and distracting.)
• Stir in 3 tablespoons of the reserved smoky liquid, and the olive oil, then Microplane the garlic into the mixture. Season with salt, and stir well until the mixture is a bit creamy. Taste, and season to your palate by adding a few more drops of the smoky liquid or a few more of olive oil. I like mine rather smoky, rather salty, rather unctuous.
• Spread the eggplant mixture into an 8-inch square, about 1/2-inch thick, on a quarter sheet pan lined with a quarter-cut Silpat mat. Most people will not have these two things, so alternatively you can form a neat square or rectangle on a cookie sheet, or spoon the mixture into generally quenelled shapes onto a cookie sheet. Freeze overnight.
• Prepare the croquettes: Set up a standard breading procedure of three containers: flour, egg and water mixture, and the ground panko.
• Cut the frozen block of smoky eggplant into 2-inch squares, or batons or planks if you prefer. Refreeze for a bit if needed after cutting; they tend to defrost rather quickly. Bread each piece with care, dipping in flour, egg mixture then panko, leaving no bald spots, and refreeze the finished, breaded croquettes. (These can live in your freezer for months.)
• Add enough neutral oil to a deep-sided sauté pan to reach a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and heat over medium until shimmering, or when a thermometer reads 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry the frozen croquettes until golden on all sides and piping hot in the center, raising and lowering the heat under the oil accordingly. Adding frozen products to hot oil brings the temperature down, as does crowding, so it is up to the cook to control the temperature of the fry oil accordingly. Remove cooked croquettes with a slotted spoon, and drain on a baker's rack to maintain crispness (rather than a paper towel or plate, which will encourage steaming and sogginess).
• Sprinkle with a little salt while still very hot, and serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium-high 3 minutes. Turn eggplant over and microwave another 2 minutes. The eggplant should be tender, cook another 2 minutes if the eggplants are not tender. Drain any liquid from the eggplants and mash.
• Combine cheese, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, onion, garlic and salt with the mashed eggplant. Mix well.
• Shape the eggplant mixture into patties. Heat oil in a large skillet. Drop eggplant patties one at a time into skillet. Fry each side of the patties until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes on each side. Patties can be frozen before frying and cooked later.

Steps:

• Prepare a charcoal fire or heat the broiler. Pierce eggplants here and there with the point of a paring knife. Place eggplants 2 inches from heat source. Allow skins to blister and char, turning with tongs until entire surface is blackened and eggplants are completely soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and lay skin side down on a cutting board. Carefully scrape away flesh with a knife and put it in a colander. Discard burned skins. Do not rinse eggplant flesh - a few bits of remaining char is fine. Salt flesh lightly and leave for 5 to 10 minutes, then squeeze into a ball to remove liquid.
• Blitz eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon salt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne in a food processor or blender to obtain a creamy purée. (For a more rustic spread, beat with a whisk instead.) Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice if necessary. Transfer mixture to a shallow serving bowl.
• Just before serving, stir together cumin and olive oil, and spoon over the mixture's surface. Sprinkle with paprika, parsley and mint. Serve with warm pita cut into triangles if desired.