SERVES 4
Winter evenings in the silvery, olive tree–blanketed hills of Andalucía can be cold, and this dish makes a rich and filling dinner—especially welcome after a day helping with the harvest. Combining lightly floured and deep-fried eggplant strips with silky, thick salmorejo remains for me an inspired combination.
1. Cover and refrigerate the salmorejo to lightly chill until ready to serve.
2. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Halve the lemon, squeeze the juice into the water, and then drop in the halves.
3. Working one by one, stem and peel the eggplants. Cut into lengthy strips like French fries. Drop them into the water to keep them from discoloring. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, and place on absorbent towels to dry. Place in a colander and liberally salt. Let the eggplants sweat away some of their bitterness for 1 hour. You will see dark beads appear on the surface. Rinse well under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Gently squeeze some moisture from the eggplants and pat dry again.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°F/95°C.
5. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil to 375°F/190°C. (The oil is the right temperature when a large cube of fresh bread dropped into it browns in about 60 seconds.)
6. Lightly flour the eggplant strips. Shake off any excess flour in a sieve.
7. Working in batches that don’t crowd the pan or bring the temperature of the oil below 350°F/180°C, gently lower the eggplant strips into the oil with tongs and fry until they are golden and slightly crunchy on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs, and place on paper towels to briefly drain. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm until all of the eggplant has been fried.
9. Once the oil has returned to 375°F/190°C, fry the next batch of eggplant.
10. Once all of the eggplant has been fried, divide it among plates. Ladle the salmorejo into bowls. Serve immediately, spooning the salmorejo over top, if desired.