Fried Eggplant Recipe
If you give a Southern an eggplant
She’ll probably look at you funny.
But she’ll take it just the same because a Southern lady hates to be rude.
She’ll turn it around and admire it’s color and shape…until you tell her it is a vegetable.
Once she realizes it is a vegetable..she’ll ooh and ahh…
Then, she’s gonna want to fry it.
SO
She’ll ask you for some oil and a skillet
You’ll get vegetable oil and your best cast iron…Seeing the cast iron will remind her of fried green tomatoes.
Thinking of fried green tomatoes will make her want to bread the eggplant just like them
She’s gonna need some corn meal
And a little salt and pepper.
Once she has those, she’ll put them in a bowl and give them a good stir. Stirring them up will remind her of cooking with her grandmother when she was a girl and how her grandmother used to love a glass of cold buttermilk….
She’ll probably ask you for some.
Once you get her the buttermilk, she’ll pour some in a bowl
And carefully slice the eggplant…now it doesn’t look so strange to her anymore.
Slicing the eggplant will make her think of eating, thinking of eating will make her think of being thirsty.
She’s gonna want some sweet tea. ….
You’ll go to look for tea bags but discover that you’re out. You’ll have to go to the store. She’ll wanna to go with you.
At the store, She’ll smile and wave at everyone who glances your way. Being this sociable will make her lots of friends. She’ll start to worry that her new friends are hungry and invite them to eat with you.
One of the new friends will be from up north – that will make her think of all they are missing out on. You’ll have to buy some Moon Pies, Pioneer Brand, Milo’s Tea, and pork skins so she can make them welcome baskets.
Once you get home, She’ll ask you to put the tea on while she gets back to cooking for everyone…
She’ll need to pour some oil in the skillet to heat.
Heating the skillet will make her think of summers in Alabama and fields full of blooming cotton.
She’ll get homesick and want you to sing Dixie.
Singing Dixie will take too long because she knows all the verses…the oil will start to smoke.
You’ll have to rush back to the kitchen. Rushing will make you hungrier and tummies will start to growl.
This Southern lady will remember her eggplant and go back to cooking.
She’ll dip each slice in buttermilk
and then in the cornmeal mixture.
And place them in the oil.
She will brown them up real good and make sure to turn them before they burn.
One they are browned on both sides, she’ll remove them to a paper towel lined plate.
Seeing the paper towels will remind the belle of how far we have all come and how fortunate we are to have such modern luxuries. She’ll want to sit down and give thanks before eating.
Once you are done eating, she’ll want to take the scraps outside to feed the critters, you’ll have to take her to the back yard.
While walking outside, she’ll pass your garden bursting forth with vegetables. Her eyes will get big as dollars and she’ll want to pick them.
SO
you’ll get her a basket and tell her to help herself.
She’ll pick tomatoes first, then cucumbers, working her way down to zucchini…eventually, she’ll get to eggplants.
You’ll pick the biggest one and hand it to her with pride.
And chances are, if you give a Southern lady an eggplant,…
She’s gonna want to fry it.
Ingredients
- 1 C Cornmeal
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 C buttermilk
- 2 or 3 medium eggplants
Instructions
- Pour oil to 1/4" depth in skillet. Place on medium heat while you prepare eggplant.
- Place dry ingredients in bowl, stir to combine (Can add a little cayenne if you like). In separate bowl, pour buttermilk. Slice eggplant. Dip each slice in buttermilk and then in meal. Place in hot oil and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides. Remove to paper towel lined plate. Serve hot, with Ranch dressing to dip in, if desired.
I’m one of the dreaded “Northerners” temporarily transplanted in Southeast Georgia, and I like sweet tea and potato salad made by true Southerners. I’ve heard that Southerners will fry anything and I guess that’s true! I’ve never eaten eggplant, and I must admit that your post makes me want to try it. I just love your posts and stories, they are so honest, funny and refreshing! I am trying to learn how to “cook southern” and I printed many of your recipes. I don’t cook often (too busy….and ok I can barely boil an egg) but I look forward to trying them out sometime soon. I have about 5 entrees and two or three veggie dishes that I cook and that I am proud of. And pumpkin pie and brownies. I did make your banana pudding recipe and it was a hit. I was so proud!! It was my first time making banana pudding too! Not sure I can cross over into fried eggplant, but I’ll give it some serious consideration!!
Let’s not forget If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, If You Take a Mouse to School, If You Give A Moose A Muffin, and If You Give A Cat A Cupcake.
Guess who’s mother was a first grade teacher?
Hello! I found your site while blog hopping and just at the right time. I have eggplant in my garden ready to cut and I was just saying to the hubs, that I don’t know what I am going to do with all this eggplant! I will be trying this recipe for supper tomorrow.
What a cute post. Too bad I don’t like eggplant.
But, I loved your story. I had not seen “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” but I used to read “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” which was similar. Oh, I need grandchildren to read to.
This post inspired me this evening. I don’t have any eggplant, but I did have a zucchini that needed to be used. So I sliced it, dipped it in milk and seasoned flour (I prefer that over cornmeal for frying), and fried it up! It was so good I ate the whole thing all by myself (guilty face). Well, I let my 2-yr-old have one slice. But I ate the rest.
Enjoyed the post immensely…but see, now you’ve had me thinking of when I was younger and how my own Dad used to fry eggplants for me to eat (I couldn’t get enough of the vegetable as a kid…) so now I’m craving some.
And if only I could look half as lovely as you do!
Cutest post ever. My whole family loves those books. I read this post to my chef hubby and he had a good chuckle over it and said “great!”