Eggplant Milanesa

I spent a few months in Buenos Aires in 2007 interning at a legal NGO. The experience was one of my more mixed ones travelling. It was, like most travel, enriching, yet those months were not one big metaphorical heap of grilled blood-sausage (remember, we’re in Argentina, so to most people blood sausage is a very very good thing).


Let me start with the more sordid: I got hooked on watching Falcon Beach while drinking inexpensive Argentinean wine alone in my apartment using what was essentially a hospital gurney as a couch. I never really demystified the phenomenon of rampant Canadian TV in Argentina but in all honestly I think that Canadian broadcasting has met more success in the Southern Cone than it has in Southern Ontario. Godiva’s, ENG and Falcon Beach among shows that I didn’t even know existed and whose names I have long since forgotten. Prime time, late-night, reliable and constant, Argentina has met the Canadian-content quota.


One of the prominent high points was the food. Every economic meltdown has its silver lining (people, I’m joking) and the crisis, which reduced the Peso to a fifth of the value of the Dollar, made eating in Buenos Aires more than affordable for a Canadian gal irresponsible with her student line of credit. I could eat out, often with my buddy Kate, whenever I wanted, comforted by the knowledge that the bill would have no impact on me until one-year after graduation when the grace period expired. Yes, I can now see the error in this logic.

And thus we arrive at eggplant milanesa. I ate eggplant milanesa almost every day for lunch at work for $1.00. While the dish sounds and looks mighty Italian (probably because a large percent of Argentines are of Italian descent), it is unmistakeably Argentinean cuisine (although not necessarily on ciabatta with tomato sauce). And in a country seriously committed to beef, it was incredible to witness how much breaded eggplant those people ate.


In the spirit of food-blogging-integrity, I got the ciabatta and milanesa recipes off of random websites. I wish I could remember who I poached them from so that I could give credit where it’s due. And in that vein, the tomato sauce was my own invention.

Ciabatta Bread

Ingredients
• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) (Note to readers: I just used warm water. Who has the energy for a thermometer?)
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions
• To Make Sponge: In a small bowl stir together 1/8 teaspoon of the yeast and the warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, 1/3 cup of the water, and 1cup of the bread flour. Stir 4 minutes, then over bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• To Make Bread: In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook, blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened; add salt and mix until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.) Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425 F (220 degrees C).
• Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool loaves on a wire rack.

Eggplant Milanesa

Ingredients:

• Breadcrumbs: 2 cups
• Eggplants: 2 medium size
• Parsley: 2 tbs.
• Eggs: 3
• Garlic: 2 cloves
• Salt and pepper: to your taste
• Olive Oil: 1 tbs.
• Lemon: 1/2

Optional:

• Tomato sauce
• Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

• Thinly cut the eggplants on the long side, about 1 cm thickness.
• Place the eggplant slices on a plate and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for about 20 minutes or until you see the eggplants releasing moisture. Pat the eggplants dry with a paper towel.
• Chop finely the garlic and parsley.
• Wisk the eggs and add the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Place the breadcrumbs on a large plate.
• Pass the eggplants through the egg mixture until they are wet. Cover both sides of each eggplant slice with breadcrumbs (lightly patting the breadcrumbs to have them stick to the eggplant).
• Spread olive oil on cooking sheet and place the eggplants one next to the other. Cook in the oven at 350 until they are golden.


Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
• Canned crushed tomatoes (some? Say ¼ or 1/3 of the can?)
• 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• Dried basil and oregano (use a heavy hand)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
• Fry onions and garlic in grapeseed oil for a few minutes
• Add crushed tomatoes
• Add basil and oregano and seasoning
• Simmer for 25 minutes