Queens Eats: Panko-Breaded Eggplant

One morning this week, as I was reading the New York Times online, I spotted an article by food writer Melissa Clark, chronicling her quest for burrata, a mozzarella-like cheese with a creamy, buttery center, during a recent trip to Rome.

Needless to say, given my love of cheese, I was intrigued. So, when I found myself in Manhattan this week for a meeting, just blocks from Eately, that cavernous emporium of all food items originating in Italy, I decided to seek out the said fromage.

While inside, I noticed that one of Eately’s restaurants was serving panko-breaded eggplant with burrata. It just so happened that I had an eggplant inside my fridge and panko in my pantry, so I sought out the cheese and now had a menu for that evening’s meal.

This meal is easy to make on a hot summer night, and is a savory meatless dish. Oh, and the burrata? Sublime. Once cut into, the creamy middle oozes onto your plate, just begging to be scooped up with the mini tomatoes.

For the burrata and tomato salad, simply use a carton of grape or cherry tomatoes and rinse and slice in half. Cut the burrata into small pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Panko-Breaded Eggplant (Source: Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1 Eggplant
2 to 3 cups panko breading
3 to 4 eggs, beaten
Pinch of Parmesan Cheese
Pasta Sauce (Optional)
Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Rinse eggplant and slice into thin pieces. Beat eggs in a medium size bowl.
2. Dip eggplant into eggs, let excess drip off. Coat each piece with panko breadcrumbs.
3. Drizzle skillet with olive oil. Working in batches, fry eggplant until lightly browned on each side. Add Parmesan and slat and pepper to each side of eggplant.
4. Top with pasta sauce and serve.