Crispy matchstick eggplant with homemade mayonnaise

Matchstick eggplant is one of the most irresistible fried appetisers in Italian cooking: thin sticks of aubergine tossed in a dry coating of flour and pecorino, then fried until deep golden and wonderfully crisp. The name comes from their shape, thin and elongated like a matchstick, and that shape is the real secret behind their crunch.

How do you get matchstick eggplant that stays crisp instead of turning soggy? The step you must not skip is salting. Twenty minutes resting under salt and a firm squeeze with your hands draw out the vegetation water, and that is exactly what separates a dry, fragrant fry from a spongy one. The dry coating of flour and grated pecorino does the rest, forming a savoury crust around every single stick.

To go with them, a homemade mayonnaise made with our Nostrano extra virgin olive oil. Whipping mayonnaise with extra virgin olive oil calls for an oil with a delicate profile: Nostrano from Oleificio Fratelli Vieste, made from Ogliarola Garganica olives, has exactly that character - sweet, fruity and balanced, able to emulsify without leaving bitter or overly assertive notes. The result is a thick sauce with a beautiful golden yellow colour and a full flavour that has nothing in common with industrial mayonnaise.

Matchstick eggplant with mayonnaise is perfect as an appetiser to share, as finger food for an aperitivo or as a tasty side dish. Serve it straight away, still hot and fragrant, with the mayonnaise cold from the fridge for contrast.

Recipe information

• Preparation time: 25 minutes
• Resting time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium
• Servings: 4 people

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the eggplant

• 2 medium eggplants
• 160 g plain flour
• 80 g grated pecorino
• fresh parsley
• pepper
• salt
• peanut oil for frying

For the mayonnaise (about 230 g)

• 170 g Nostrano extra virgin olive oil, Oleificio Fratelli Vieste
• 3 egg yolks
• 20 g lemon juice (roughly ½ lemon)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Method

1. Start with the mayonnaise: pour the oil into the beaker of an immersion blender, then add the yolks, the strained lemon juice, the salt, the pepper and the vinegar. Blend keeping the blender perfectly still until the mayonnaise begins to swell, then carry on moving the blender up and down; stop when it looks thick and firm. Transfer it to a bowl and put it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
2. Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices 1 cm thick. From the slices cut very thin sticks, about 4-5 cm long, like matchsticks.
3. Put the eggplant in a bowl with salt for 20 minutes, then squeeze it firmly with your hands (this is what makes it crisp rather than soggy).
4. Put the flour in a bowl, grate in the pecorino and add a pinch of pepper. Mix well, then toss in the eggplant matchsticks, shaking off the excess flour.
5. Heat the oil in a deep-sided pan and fry the eggplant a few pieces at a time, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil, then sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and a handful of grated pecorino.
6. Serve immediately, with the mayonnaise alongside.

Useful tips

Fry only a few pieces at a time: if the pan is overloaded the oil temperature drops and the matchsticks soak up fat instead of browning. For the same reason, cut the sticks as thin as you can, because the final crunch depends on their thickness.

The mayonnaise keeps in the fridge for two or three days in a sealed container. If it splits, rescue it by pouring it in a thin stream over a fresh egg yolk while blending.