Party Time
Act 2
Scene 1
The setting: That same kitchen
The event: Oscar night, again
The cast: Family, neighbors
The action: A party in full swing. Hungry children, eyeing the buffet with suspicion. A few nibbling unadorned toasts and pasta. Adults drinking sparkling water, wine, taking plates from a pile, heaping them with food, forgetting diets.
Noshing.
Margy: Oops, I forgot the aioli!
More action: Serving platters dwindling. Children tentatively eating eggplant.
Scene 2
Later: Plates of indulgences are empty. Healthier foods remain, waiting to be put away.
Scene 3
The next morning: A mostly clean kitchen, tired family, getting ready for school and work.
Oscar: I never got to try the eggplant.
Gabe: It's gone. We ate it all.
Oscar, disappointed: Oh. Okay.
Gabe: Wait. What's this? I had forgotten about it!
Scene 4
That evening: Family at the dinner table. Eggplant, reheated in the oven, dipped in aioli. Children enthusiastically eating eggplant.
2009: Cuban Black Beans (still a classic)
2010: Baked Potatoes with Cilantro Pesto
2011: Black Sesame Carrots
Eggplant Croquettes with Tarragon Aioli
Aioli is a creamy, garlicky mayonnaise, and the tarragon in this version is excellent with the eggplant. You omit it and serve the eggplant with another dip or just straight up.
Adapted from Plenty
Makes about 50 croquettes
30 minutes preparation time
1 hour cooking time
For the croquettes:
3 medium potatoes (about 2 cups after mashing)
2 large eggplants (about 2 cups after cooking)
1 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
approximately 2 cups bread crumbs, preferably homemade, divided
canola oil for frying
For the aioli:
1 egg
1 garlic clove, smashed with a wooded spoon and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
Put the whole potatoes in a pan, cover with water, and boil until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. When the potatoes are tender, drain the water and set the potatoes aside to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins with your hands.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill on high. Prick the eggplants with a fork and grill them until they are blackened on all sides. When they are completely blackened, set them aside to cool. When they are cool enough to touch, scrape the flesh out of the skins. Discard the skins and chop the eggplant coarsely.
While the potatoes and eggplant are cooling, make the aioli. Put the egg, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse just enough to mix it. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the tarragon and pulse just to combine. Scoop the aioli into a small serving bowl and refrigerate it until ready to serve.
In a medium-sized bowl, mash the potatoes and eggplant together. Mix in the feta, parmesan, egg, salt, and 1 cup of the breadcrumbs. Take a bit of the mixture out and shape it into a snake on the counter. Cut off a 2-inch length and test it to see whether it holds together. It should hold its shape as you life it off the counter. If it's too moist, add more breadcrumbs.
Divide the croquette mixture into quarters. Roll each fourth into a long snake a bit wider than your thumb. Roll each length in breadcrumbs and then cut it into two-inch segments. Arrange the segments on a baking sheet and set them in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes.
Spread a couple of plates with newspaper and top with paper towels.
Pour an inch of canola oil into a deep pot and heat it over a medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, drop in a small piece of the croquette. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is hot. Working in batches, drop the croquettes into the oil, making sure that there is room for the hot oil to circulate on all sides of each croquette. Cook them until they are golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per batch.
Remove the croquettes with a slotted spoon and drain them on the paper towels. The croquettes are best served immediately, but if they can be kept in a warm oven until ready to serve. Serve on a platter with the aioli.
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