Berenjenas fritas
One of the most mouth-watering uses for aubergines in Spanish cooking is the way they are served as a ‘ración’, - in portions – shallow fried, with a drizzle of sugar cane honey on the top. The dish is very simple to prepare.
They can be prepared either cut into rounds – a little less than half a centimetre thick - or cut into fingers as you would prepare potatoes for chips. The skin is generally left on, although you may remove it if you wish.
The first stage after chopping up your aubergines is to put them in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Leave for about 20 minutes and then pat dry with kitchen paper.
Now, beat one egg in a shallow bowl and in another sprinkle in some bought breadcrumbs.
Heat up some oil in a frying pan on a medium heat while you are doing this.
Dip each slice, on both sides, first into the egg and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Some recipes use flour instead of the breadcrumbs and may even leave out the egg, or use milk instead. Others will make up a batter into which the aubergines are dipped before frying.
Lay out the slices on a large, flat plate until you are ready to fry them. Or, if you’re good at multi-tasking, you could have one batch on the go in the pan while you prepare the next lot to be fried.
Berenjenas fritas
The aubergines will need between three and five minutes in the pan until they turn a golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper, transfer to another plate, and sprinkle with salt. They are absolutely delicious with sugarcane honey, ‘miel de caña’, drizzled over the top.
