Berenjenas con Miel

Ingredients

• 2 eggplant
• 4 dl milk
• 1½ tsp salt
• 120 g wheat flour
• 40 g cornstarch
• 8 dl vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. 1.

   Salt and drain the aubergine — Trim the aubergines and cut them, skin on, into batons about 1 cm thick and a finger long. Toss with 1 tsp of the salt in a colander and leave for 15 minutes to draw out the bitter juices, then pat dry.

2. 2.

   Soak in milk — Put the batons in a bowl, pour over the milk so they are just covered and leave to soak for 30 minutes. The milk washes out the last of the bitterness and keeps the insides creamy once fried.

3. 3.

   Heat the frying oil — Pour the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy pan to a depth of about 4 cm and heat it to 180 °C. A cube of bread dropped in should turn golden in 40 seconds; any cooler and the batons will drink oil.

4. 4.

   Dredge in seasoned flour — Whisk the flour, cornstarch and remaining salt together in a wide dish. Lift the batons straight out of the milk, let them drip for a second, then turn them in the flour until they look dry and completely coated.

5. 5.

   Fry in small batches — Fry a handful at a time for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until deep gold and rigid to the tongs. Never crowd the pan — the oil drops and they steam instead of crisping. Drain on paper and salt lightly.

6. 6.

   Drizzle with rosemary honey — Warm the honey with the rosemary in a small pan for a minute until it runs freely, then zigzag it over the hot aubergine. Serve at once with lemon wedges, while the crust still shatters under the fork.