Dinner 1/18
Eggplant Cannoli
(recipe below)
Bistro Salad
Dessert
Sauternes Cake with Roasted Pear
(adapted from Neil Perry and the recipe is here)
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About 5pm, while faced with another round of eggplant parmesan, we came up with this idea. We're certainly not the first to do so, as
a quick search of google will tell you, but the other versions don't sound like this one, or aren't vegan, so forward we go...
Eggplant Cannoli(makes about 10 pieces)
1 globe eggplant
salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbs. water
1 cup of breadcrumbs
2 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp. oregano, finely minced
Trim the top and bottom off of the eggplant and square off all side pieces to make a rectangular loaf-sized piece at least 6 long.
Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, slice the eggplant into about 1/8" thick slices. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and place in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt and pat the eggplant slices dry.
Add the flour, salt, pepper and smoked paprika in a shallow dish or pie plate and coat the eggplant on both sides.
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In a separate dish or pan, place
only one side of the eggplant in the cornstarch slurry.
In a third dish or pan, place
only the wet cornstarch side of the eggplant in the breadcrumbs and press firmly to coat completely.
Place a cannoli tube at the bottom of a piece of eggplant and tightly roll the eggplant slice upwards. When you reach the end, press firmly on both sides of the tube to seal the edge.
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Place two toothpicks in the eggplant to help keep the cannoli sealed while it is in the deep-fryer.
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Deep-fry the cannoli (the metal tubes and the eggplant) in 385F canola/peanut oil for 2-3 minutes until the cannoli get golden brown. Remove, drain and let cool for a few minutes before trying to pull out the tube.
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Immediately stuff the cannoli with the ricotta filling (a pastry bag would work here).
Ricotta Filling 8oz. firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sour cream
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Add all of the ingredients to a blender or use a small container and an immersion blender and puree until creamy. A variation would be to add cooked spinach and nutmeg to the filling.
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Top the cannoli with your favorite tomato sauce and serve hot.
Key items:
- Using a mandoline not only makes them look uniform in size and shape, but it also allows you to cut them more thinly and accurately than with a knife -- which is important when it comes time to wrap them around the cannoli tube.
- Carefully twist the toothpicks when pulling them out. They may adhere to the breadcrumb coasting after being deep-fried and will pull a big chunk of coating off if you just yank it through. ;)
- Have the ricotta in the pastry bag (large tip) ready to go as soon as you pull the tubes out -- you want that combination of crispy eggplant and creamy ricotta.
Tags:
eggplant, tofu, basil, parsley, salad, sauternes, cake, pears, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666