TOP

Crusted Eggplant with Tomato Pepper Relish

Difficulty: Simple
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 6

Crusted Baby Eggplant

  • 2 Adagio® Baby Eggplants
  • 1 garlic clove – sliced
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g fresh white bread crumbs or panko
  • 1.5 oz Parmesan – freshly grated
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1.6 oz olive oil

Tomato Pepper Relish

  • 1 oz hot peppers
  • 1 dry pint Cameo® Cherry Tomatoes, cut into halves
  • 5 oz Crescendo® Sweet Pointed Peppers, diced (about 3)
  • 3 Fresco® Mini Cucumbers cut into a fine dice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 oz shallot
  • garlic
  • 10 coriander seeds, crushed
  • 20 fennel seeds
  • 1 oz basil, roughly chopped
  • coriander, roughly chopped
  • lime juice from 1 lime
  • salt
  • sugar

Adagio® Baby Eggplant on a bed of beautifully structured relish made with Cameo® Cherry Tomatoes, Crescendo® Sweet Pointed Peppers and our Fresco® Mini Cucumbers.

Instructions

Crusted Baby Eggplant

  1. Cut Adagio® Baby Eggplant into half-inch slices. Place into a mixing bowl. Add sliced garlic and a pinch of salt and toss well. Marinate for 10 minutes Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan and chopped parsley.
  2. Dip the Adagio® Baby Eggplant slices into the flour. Then into the egg wash. Shake off excess egg wash before coating with crumb mixture. Press well between your hands making sure the eggplant slice is completely coated on both sides.
  3. In a heavy bottom pan, shallow fry in olive oil until golden. Turn the eggplant over and cook on reverse side.
  4. Once cooked, place onto paper towel to remove excess oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

Tomato Pepper Relish

  1. Split and discard the seeds from the hot pepper. Toast coriander and fennel seeds lightly in olive oil for 2-3 minutes over a low heat.
  2. Add the chopped shallot, garlic and gusto hot pepper, diced Crescendo® Sweet Pointed Peppers and cook until soft.
  3. Add Cameo® Cherry Tomatoes and cook for a further 4-5 minutes
  4. Remove from the heat. Add all remaining ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning.

Serving

  1. Warm the relish and place into center of plate. Dress the eggplant slices onto the relish. Finish presentation with basil sprigs.
  2. This relish is best made at least a day in advance and stored until required. This allows the flavors to develop further. It can be kept in an air-tight container for 2 weeks in the fridge. This relish also makes a wonderful accompaniment with a mature farmhouse cheddar, served with water biscuits.