Fried Eggplant Sandwich Sicilian-style
Fried eggplant, gooey melted cheese and a soft yet crunchy bread are the main ingredients of this amazing Sicilian sandwich.
Equipment
- 1 chopping knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 large bowl
- 1 small or medium plate
- 1 heavy object like a can of lentils
- 1 small pan
- 1 large pan or medium pot
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 2 medium bread rolls
- 6 slices Emmental cheese
- Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 large tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- dry or fresh oregano or basil
Instructions
- Wash and peel your eggplant.
- Then, slice into thick slices and cut each slice into 4. If you want to deep fry them, you can keep your slices whole.
- Put the cut vegetable in a large bowl and sprinkle with plenty of salt.
- Fill the bowl with water till the top, and cover with a plate that fits into the bowl on top of the cut slices or triangles.
- Then take a heavy object, like a can of lentils, and place it on top of the plate to apply pressure. That will help keep the slices submerged in the salted water to remove the bitterness as well as the excess water inside of the vegetable. Wait at least 40 minutes but preferably 1 to 2 hours.
- When the allocated time has passed, proceed by draining the vegetables. You can use the plate to press the salted water out of the bowl. Then rinse the slices and squeeze any excess water out.
- It's suggested to pat dry the slices so they cook crispier. Feel free to do this or skip it.
- Next, add the eggplant to a pot or large pan, drizzle with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and put on the stove to cook at medium heat. Make sure to mix them from time to time so they don't stick to the bottom.
- Alternatively, you can deep fry them into a medium large pan with more extra virgin olive oil. This will take a little longer as you need to leave enough space between each slice, plus it will have more calories.
- While your aubergine cooks, you can slice your tomatoes.
- Next, slice your bread.
- Take a pan and grill your tomato slices for a few minutes. This way, they will be warm and a little crispy on the outside.
- Don't forget to season your vegetables with salt and pepper, and mix well.
- When your aubergines are nearly ready, grill your bread in the oven or in a pan on both sides.
- It's now time to assemble your sandwiches.
- Start with a slice or two of cheese at the bottom.
- Then pack your roll with plenty of fried aubergines.
- Follow with a generous sprinkle of dried oregano. You can use dry basil or fresh if you prefer.
- Top with the sliced of tomatoes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with the last slice or two of cheese, and cover with the top of the bread roll.
- Press the sandwich so that everything amalgamates and the cheese keeps melting.
- Put yours on a plate, sit down, and start eating it. So delicious, right? Buon appetito!
Notes
The calories are for the pan fried version of this recipe, including two slices of cheese on a medium bread roll. You'll need to account for another 200 calories or more for the deep fried version. Once in a while, I'd say it's ok to indulge in the latter.