Gaga’s Eggplant Fritters

• 2 large or 3 medium eggplants (purple) – you need about 2 c when mashed
• 1 scant c flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp baking powder (or baking soda,  but it may turn the fritters a teal green when cooled)
• 1 egg (slightly beaten)
• vegetable oil – enough to have about 1/2″ on the bottom of the pan.
• powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Peel the eggplant, removing any big clumps of seeds, and cut into about 4″ pieces.  Add the eggplant to the boiling water (it should cover the eggplant) and cover and cook until very soft – less than 10 minutes.  Drain and cool.

Mix the eggplant pulp in a food processor and then measure it (you want about 2 cups) Return the 2 c pulp to the processor and add the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and egg.   Blend well – but don’t overblend.  The resulting mixture should be like a thick pancake batter.  If it’s too thick, add a bit of water.  If it’s too thin, add a bit of flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the eggplant mixture by heaping tablespoons to the pan, as you would a pancake batter (I measured and each fritter had a scant 2T of batter).  Using a spatula, press down on each fritter a bit to make them spread out.  When each fritter is nicely browned (a couple of minutes), turn and brown on the other side.  Remove and place on paper towels and allow to cool slightly.  They may be served warm or at room temperature.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.