Fried Veggies

Okay, I know that raw, unadulterated veggies are the best for you, but sometimes a person's got to stray from the path of healthfulness. And when you pick the first patty pan squash of the season, you have to celebrate with fried squash.

Peaking through the squash plant today, I found two 3½ inch diameter patty pans -- my very favorite squash -- so tonight was the night. I picked two of the Turkish eggplants and an oddly shaped Armenian cucumber as well. The recipe came from Epicurious.com.

I only bread and fry veggies a couple of times a year and had never tried the methodology used in this recipe. The vegetable slice was first dredged in cornstarch, then dipped in egg, then dredged in fresh bread crumbs. Unlike my usual dip-it-in-milk-then-flour technique, this one somehow kept the crispy coating from flaking off. I'm a convert, cornstarch first from now on.

We had roast pork tenderloin (and, yes, there was enough left over to provide the meat for MockMexican tomorrow), bruschetta with La Brea whole grain bread and tomatoes fresh from the garden, and fried patty pan squash, Turkish eggplant and Armenian cucumber.

I admit it, I get weird every once in a while (actually, frequently), but I really like cucumber in stir fry, so I thought I'd try it. It was not offensive, it was... bland. I think if the breading was spicy it would be nice because the texture and moistness of it was good, just not much flavor. The eggplant was the least yuck-o eggplant I've ever eater. The Engineer dubbed it aubergine and ate all of it with relish. The patty pan was heaven.