The Food Corner

by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville

I am a huge fan of eggplant. Whether it is served up as a vegetarian meal or accompanies meat or fish, it is versatile and very flavourful. Today’s recipe is Spicy Eggplant and if you like this fruit (yup, it’s a member of the aubergine family and so it’s really a fruit), you are going to enjoy this recipe.

Spicy Eggplant

Ingredients

1 or 2 small to medium eggplants (depending on how many folks you are feeding)

The white of one large egg

6 teaspoons of cornstarch

A cup of vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Mixed spices: 3 teaspoons of sea salt; 3 teaspoons of chili powder, 3 tablespoons of lemon pepper (or pepper); ½ teaspoon of cumin; 5 teaspoons of garlic powder; 2 teaspoons of ground mustard seed; 2 teaspoons of onion powder and 2 teaspoons of ground cloves. This mixture is sometimes called a Thaï 7-Spice Blend, though a good many other cultures use the same spices.

Preparation-

- Slice the eggplant into ½ to ¼ inch thick rounds (like pucks)

- Make an egg wash by beating the egg white till light and foamy

- Mix the cornstarch and spice mixture and spread onto a large plate

- Bring the oil to frying temperature in a shallow pan

- Dip your eggplant rounds in the egg wash, then coat with the dry mixture

- Deep fry the coated eggplant rounds, in batches, for about 5 minutes or until crispy golden

- As they are done, place the eggplant rounds on paper towels to absorb excess oil

- Serve while hot (warm them up very briefly in the oven if you need to) energy sources when there are far cheaper alternatives available. Expanding use of methane for heating and electricity generation not only has significant capital costs, it also has ongoing running costs that are vulnerable to the whims of global markets and to world events.

You can dish these up as is or with a sour cream, Caesar dressing, salsa or Tzatziki dip. I think olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar might be a good dip also.

I hope you are enjoying our early spring (at least we hope it’s an early spring). Best from pcormier@ranaprocess.com.

There is a different path open to us. One that would reduce our energy costs over both the short term and the long term, one that would reduce our vulnerability to extreme weather, market forces and global events. Renewable energy offers near zero marginal cost energy, which can be generated in virtually any location. Even RBC, a major funder of fossil fuel projects, report that wind or solar projects are significantly cheaper than methane, at US$40 per MWh compared to US$60 per MWh, and a report from Ontario’s Inde- pendent Electricity System Operator stated that Ontario can avoid the need for new methane plants and lower its electricity costs by up to $290 billion by investing in zero-carbon options.

Countries around the world are in a race to decarbonize their economies, creating new industries and economic opportunities in the process. As Mike Schreiner, Ontario Greens leader and Guelph MPP says, “Low-cost renewable energy projects and ambitious efficiency programs will drive progress on climate and help people and business save money by saving energy. A clean grid will attract new industries, create tens of thousand of jobs and give Ontario a strong foothold in the booming climate economy.”