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    Home » Appetizers

    Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes

    Aug 8, 2008 · Modified: Dec 7, 2020 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 16 Comments

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    Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes - Andrea Meyers

    Some beautiful foods just aren't pretty to look at, and these eggplant cakes fall into that category. They taste wonderful and take on a beautiful brown color, but on the plate it looks like fried mud and grass clippings. In spite of their unassuming looks, we enjoyed these little tidbits from Marcella Hazan's tome Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It has long been a favorite of mine and was my introduction to true Italian cooking.

    If you are up to your knees in eggplant this summer, this is a great way to use a couple of them. Hazan's recipe calls for roasting the eggplants in the oven, but I avoid turning on the oven in July and August unless there's a really darn good reason, such as a Daring Baker's challenge or a birthday cake to bake. These went onto a hot grill and I turned them every 10 minutes to make sure they cooked evenly.

    Grilled whole eggplant - Andrea Meyers

    Getting the oil temperature just right for an operation like this can be a bit tricky. You want the cakes to fry, not soak. If the oil isn't hot enough, the cakes will absorb oil and become greasy, definitely not tasty. Make sure the oil temperature is right about 350° F/175° C but not higher than 375° F/190° C. The temperature will drop slightly when you add the eggplant, but not enough to cause them to soak.

    Hazan offers a recipe for a tomato sauce with onions to which you add the fried cakes while it's cooking. We did our own variation on that by using pasta sauce with roasted garlic and an onion confit, piling both on top. It was a very tasty combination! You can even add a layer of mozzarella cheese, just fry the cakes and then top with cheese and bake in the oven at 400° F/200° C until the cheese melts. See the Recipe Notes below.

    Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes - Andrea Meyers
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    Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes

    Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan. Makes 4 to 6 cakes.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 20 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Keyword: eggplant, eggs, fry, grill, summer
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 126kcal
    Author: Andrea Meyers

    Equipment

    • grill or oven
    • large bowl
    • frying pan
    • instead read thermometer (for checking oil temperature)
    • 2 large plates, line one with paper towels
    • small plate

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds eggplant
    • ⅓ cup unseasoned bread crumbs (lightly toasted, or gluten-free bread crumbs)
    • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped fine)
    • 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
    • 1 egg
    • 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (fresh grated)
    • salt to taste
    • black pepper (fresh ground, to taste)
    • canola oil (enough to come ½-inch up the sides of the frying pan)
    • unbleached all-purpose flour (spread on a small plate, or brown rice flour)

    Serve With

    • pasta sauce
    • onion confit

    Preparation

    • Preheat the grill or oven to 400° F/200° C.
    • Wash the eggplants and do not trim. Keep them whole and intact. Rub the grill down with some canola oil and place the eggplants on the grill. Cook, turning every 10 minutes, until tender and a toothpick pierces the skin easily, about 40 minutes. (For the oven, place the eggplant directly on the rack and put a baking pan below to catch the drips.)
    • Set the eggplant on a plate to cool. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, peel the skin away and discard. Cut the eggplant into several large pieces and place in a colander over a deep dish for about 15 minutes. Allow the juices to drain away, squeezing the pieces as necessary to encourage the eggplant to shed it's liquid.
    • Chop the eggplant very fine and combine in the mixing bowl with the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, egg, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Mix it all together with your hands until it's uniform. Shape into little cakes about 2 inches (about 5 cm) across and ½-inch thick (about 1 cm). Lay the cakes on a large plate.
    • Pour the canola oil into the frying pan until it comes about ½-inch (1 cm) up the sides of the pan. Turn the heat on high. When the oil is very hot (375° F/190° C), dip the cakes in flour on each side and gently slide into the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan, allow plenty of room between the cakes. When the crust gets nice and brown, flip them over. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove to a large plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle some more salt on top while still hot.
    • Serve hot or warm with some pasta sauce and sauteed onions (onion confit) on the side.

    Recipe Notes

    Baked with mozzarella: Top each fried cake with a slice of fresh mozzarella and bake at 400° F/200° C until the cheese melts.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kalyn says

      August 08, 2008 at 1:00 pm

      They sound quite delicious! I love your idea of grilling instead of baking too. Thanks for mentioning my spicy eggplant recipe too; that was the recipe that got me started liking eggplant.

      Kalyns last blog post..Recipe for Market Street Grill Creamy Cucumber-Dill Sauce for Fish

      Reply
    2. jennifer says

      August 08, 2008 at 1:46 pm

      Fabulous! I've been collecting recipes, and I totally forgot about Marcella's eggplant cakes! I love her cookbook too. I'm making these next week -- thanks!

      Reply
    3. Pooh says

      August 08, 2008 at 2:39 pm

      I know I have four medium eggplants begging to be used up at home, I just hope I have the remaining ingredients to make your fabulous eggplant cakes!

      Reply
    4. victoria says

      August 08, 2008 at 3:22 pm

      I love grilling eggplant all year round. And I know what you mean about a great tasting recipe that isn't photogenic. I'm not too worried about it - still tastes great!

      victorias last blog post..Miso Sake Eggplant

      Reply
    5. Suzanne' says

      August 08, 2008 at 8:08 pm

      I'd be pleased to eat those fried mud and grass clippings any day.

      Reply
    6. Suzanne' says

      August 08, 2008 at 8:09 pm

      I’d be pleased to eat those fried mud and grass clippings any day.

      Suzanne's last blog post..Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay

      Reply
    7. Andrea says

      August 08, 2008 at 10:59 pm

      Kalyn, thanks! I like spicy flavors with eggplant and used to get aa spicy eggplant stir fry dish at a restaurant in DC that was quite memorable. Sadly the restaurant is closed. Now I have to figure out how to make it!
      Jennifer, Hazan's book is wonderful, isn't it? I've had my copy since 1995 and still love it.
      Pooh, thanks and I hope you like them.
      Victoria, it's a good thing I shot that photo outside because indoors it would have looked so much worse. 🙂
      Suzanne, I'll be happy to share!

      Reply
    8. indosungod says

      August 09, 2008 at 12:18 pm

      Eggplants cakes sure look like a great way to use them eggplants. Would be perfrect in a sandwich too.

      indosungods last blog post..The Bean has grown! and a Guess!

      Reply
    9. DaviMack says

      August 10, 2008 at 11:41 am

      You know, so many foods are not photogenic ... and we just have to ask why it is that we think food should look a certain way. To me, I'm glad to see something looking "rustic" because so often that means that it's passed into some other realm, where the food doesn't need to be photogenic in order to be plated.

      Yum!

      DaviMacks last blog post..Pumpkins, Tomatoes and Oranges. Oh, my.

      Reply
    10. Nazarina says

      August 15, 2008 at 12:21 pm

      To me it looks delicious and beautiful and just ready to eat!

      I love your GYO segment, It brings people closer to the earth and ultimately nature. Will try to participate next time. We have a big garden, pity it only lasts for 3 months!

      Reply
    11. Andrea says

      August 16, 2008 at 10:50 pm

      Indosungod, I never thought of using them in a sandwich, but it sounds like a great idea!

      DaviMack, you are so right. Until I started photographing for this cooking blog, I never really thought about presentation; good flavor was enough for us. Still is!

      Nazarina, I hope you get a chance to join in! We're celebrating the first anniversary of Grow Your Own!

      Reply
    12. Chefmikey says

      August 19, 2008 at 10:38 pm

      I only put in 4 eggplant plants to my newly built garden and ended up with a real bumper crop of huge eggplants. I've been getting tired of the same old broiled, grilled or parmesan eggplant. This is a really great recipe! I've made it twice...once as written and once I added some spicey peppers. Both are a hit around here.

      Reply
    13. Andrea says

      August 20, 2008 at 9:25 am

      Chefmikey, thanks for coming back! We're so glad you enjoyed the eggplant cakes.

      Reply
    14. Linda says

      September 16, 2008 at 10:26 am

      This sounds so delicious. I don't care how it looks....yum. I'm ready to make it.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. A Recipe for Easy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana | A Recipe for Easy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana healty| A Recipe for Easy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana > | healty foods | healty diet | healthy food says:
      December 17, 2010 at 8:05 am

      [...] and Red Pepper Tapenade at Proud Italian Cook Mediterranean Eggplant at Karina’s Kitchen Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes at Andrea’s Kitchen Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Pasta Salad at What Geeks Eat Lentil and [...]

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    2. Melitzanosalata: 2 Ways to make Aubergine (Eggplant) Dip « On Top Of Spaghetti says:
      September 2, 2012 at 10:21 am

      [...] this, love it!) Spicy Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Salad with Thai Flavors from Kalyn’s Kitchen Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes by Andrea Meyers Easy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana by Food Blogga Share this:TwitterFacebookLike [...]

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