it's friday already?/fried eggplant with honey

Slept longer this morning than I planned to. But that's because C.K. and her crazy antics woke me up at 3:30. I heard one of the windows banging, and I thought the strange winds we've been having all week in the middle of the night had returned. I checked the windows upstairs, but there was no wind. The banging continued, so I went downstairs. C.K. had somehow managed to get herself tangled in the lace curtain in the dining room. Judging from the displaced window box outside on the sill, I reckon she had another late-night rendezvous with one of the neighbor cats. Big Jim's had a busy week. We had decided last weekend that because August is essentially vacation month for Europe, he would only spend an hour or two every day on job apps and focus on getting these four computers sitting around our house back to their owners (By the way, update on M.A.'s computer: the guy who sold it to her is a jerk. When Big Jim finally spoke with him after 5 days of leaving messages, he told Big Jim he would only buy it back from M.A. after Big Jim had fixed it....another scammer) and other admin projects he has going. The unemployment figures out of Germany, where Big Jim has done much of his work, have not been encouraging either....still over 10%. All that aside, he received more job calls this week than he had in all of July. Go figure. Most of my deadlines are completed for the week, so today will be a relatively low-stress day. We haven't been out for dinner in the village for awhile, so we are planning to take the pups with us to Bar Loro this evening, where we can have our salad and gambas pil pil outside under the starry sky. Today's recipe is for my mother. When my parents visited in March, we had dinner one night at a restaurant called Cortijo Paco. I told my mother she had to try the eggplant because it was to die for. She seemed skeptical, but I asked the waiter to bring a plate for us all to share. Fifteen minutes later, he returned with a huge platter, heaped high with thin rounds of fried eggplant, drizzled with honey. We never thought we'd finish them off, but we did easily, and a fight almost broke out over the last few. My mother continues to rave, months later, "I'm still thinking about that eggplant. And I don't even like eggplant. But it was soooo good." I must admit, eggplant was not something I considered as a popular Spanish food before I moved here. However, our local produce shop almost always has the most beautiful eggplants, so we eat them often. I've since read that the Moors brought eggplant with them when they settled in Andalucia, and from here, the fruit spread throughout the continent. Here's what you need: 2 eggplants (try to find a couple that are long and thin rather than squat and ovoid) 2 eggs about 2/3 cup of flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup milk olive oil (for frying) 1/4 cup honey First, in all parts of the world, there is much controversy regarding whether to salt eggplant to remove bitterness before frying. I confess, I do. I slice the eggplant very thin (1/8 of an inch; if you have a mandoline, this would be a good time to use it), layer it in a collander placed in the sink, sprinkle sea salt over it, set a plate on top, and put a small brick on the plate to weigh it down. Leave for 30 minutes and then rinse off the salt. Many, including James Beard, the famous US chef, claimed this salt business is just an old wives' tale and completely unnecessary. Your choice. Mix the flour, baking soda, and a little salt in a bowl. Add the milk and eggs. Whisk. Heat the oil at medium. The oil should be about 1/2 inch deep in a large frying pan. Dip the eggplant into the batter, and drop into the oil. Fry for about 30 seconds on each side. The eggplant should be a gold color. Drain on paper towels. The honey should be warmed, also on medium heat. Arrange the fried eggplant on a platter and drizzle with the honey and serve. Enjoy! Have a happy weekend everyone. :-) hasta pronto, mylifeinspain