The classic accents of briny olives and tart oranges balance the mellow sweetness of fennel when it is cooked until fork-tender.
Dice 1 cooked carrot. Mix with 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, and some salt, and beat well. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a frying pan, add the batter, and cook on both sides [until it starts to brown]. Serve topped with a fried egg, and garnish with fried new potatoes and a gratin of beets.
Here we take toothy chunks of carrots, parboil them, fast roast them in the oven with allspice, and finish them off with a garnish of minced preserved lemon and fresh garlic.
Slice the Asian eggplants (if using) lengthwise into quarters, keeping the stem intact so that it holds the eggplant together. Heat the oil in a wok until almost smoking, then turn the heat down to medium and fry the eggplants well, turning occasionally. Do not burn. Transfer the eggplants to a baking dish. Cook under a preheated medium broiler for 20 minutes, turning the eggplants halfway through.
This was my first taste of the south of France.
Don’t let summer get away from you without trying this. Then again, it is pretty swell in winter, too.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Be prepared to fry the potatoes twice: once to cook them so they fluff inside and again to get them crispy on the outside. When I use an electric fryer, I always follow the manufacturer's instructions. To make good fries in a pot on the stove, a deep-fat thermometer is essential. It ensures that the oil is at the proper temperature for deep-frying and lets you check that the oil isn't overheating, a potentially dangerous situation. A mandoline is a very useful slicing tool for cutting the potatoes (and other vegetables) quickly and to a uniform size. Both the deep-fat thermometer (also called a candy thermometer) and the mandoline are available at most cookware stores. The third essential is a pot that is large and tall enough to contain the oil without overflowing when the potatoes are slipped in.
Thickly sliced eggplant brushed with a glossy pomegranate olive oil coating and broiled brings out an alluring, mouthwatering shade of mahogany.
This dish is delicious on top of some grains, alongside fish, or even as a burger topping.