Italian Fried Vegetables Recipe
Bring the flavors of Italy to your table with Sara Moulton's Italian Fried Vegetables, a golden-crisp medley of zucchini, eggplant, and cauliflower coated in a light, beer-battered crust. Paired with a zesty basil aioli and fresh lemon wedges, this dish is the perfect appetizer or side for any gathering. It's a deliciously simple way to celebrate fresh vegetables with a satisfying crunch in every bite.
Recipe by Sara Moulton.
Recipe featured on Rachael Ray in Tuscany.
Ingredients
For the Basil Aioli:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, zested plus the juice from 1 wedge of lemon
A big handful of basil leaves
Salt
For the batter and fried vegetables:
1 bottle of beer, like Peroni
About 4 cups of AP Flour, divided
Salt
2 zucchini, cut into sticks
1 eggplant, cut into sticks
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
A couple quarts of oil for frying
Directions
To Serve:
Lemon wedges
Add garlic, mayonnaise, zest of 1 lemon and juice from 1 lemon wedge, and a handful of basil leaves to a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt as needed.
Heat up a medium pot with a few inches of fry oil until it reaches 365 F.
Add 2 cups of flour to a medium bowl and the other 2 cups of flour to a larger bowl, season both with salt. Begin whisking the beer into the flour in the larger bowl until it reaches the consistency of a thick pancake batter.
Toss the chopped zucchini, eggplant and cauliflower in the bowl with the plain flour then shake off any excess and transfer to the bowl with the beer batter. Batter and fry in batches that are all the same type of vegetable until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer fried vegetables to a rack set inside a sheet pan and season with salt.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve with basil aioli and lemon wedges.
