Berenjenas Con Miel (Eggplants with Black Honey)

I am so grateful for generous friends who are traveling epicures. Thanks to Susan and family for the goodies from their summer travels to Spain. They inspired a tasty Spanish feast tonight.

We made Patatas Aliñadas and gluten-free olive oil brownies with the olive oil - recipes to follow for those - and Berenjenas Con Miel with the honey for dinner tonight. Gracias e besos!

Susan had sent me a message over the weekend to come pick up a gift in her classroom this morning. One of the treats inside was a jar of Miel de Caña that's from the Malaga area where her mom lives. Frigiliana is a small hill town in the Axarquia region.

After a little research I realized that it's not actually black honey. It's a reduced sugar cane syrup; it's molasses! Sugar cane has a long history in the area. It's said that Darius, the Persian king, discovered sugar cane and described it as "a cane that gives honey without the intervention of bees."

I wanted to make a dish that came from the same region as the Miel de Caña. I settled on Berenjenas con Miel which is popular in the areas around Malaga and Granada. And we love eggplant, so it was a perfect dinner for us. I did make it gluten-free by using a mixture of sorghum and rice flours for my breading.

Ingredients

• 1 large organic eggplant, sliced into 1/4" coins
• 1 to 2 t salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 C sorghum flour
• 1/4 C brown rice flour
• 1 C olive oil
• Miel de Caña for serving

Procedure

Put the eggplant slices on large platter and lightly salt each one on both sides. Let stand for at least 20 minutes to draw out the moisture. Rinse off the salt, then pat the eggplant coins dry.

In  large, flat-bottom pan, heat the olive oil until it sizzles. While the oil heats, mix the flours together and on a plate. Press the eggplant coins into the flour and shake off the excess. Cook them in the hot oil for two to three minutes per side. Once cooked, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

To serve, arrange the slices on a large serving platter. Drizzle generously with the Miel de Caña. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with a high quality olive oil. Serve immediately with more Miel de Caña on the side.