Vegetarian schnitzels à la Charentenay

Ingredients

Schnitzels for 4 people :

• 2 aubergines
• 1 or 2 eggs
• Flour (wheat or buckwheat)
• Smoked paprika (or other spice such as cumin, depending on taste)
• Breadcrumbs
• Butter
• Sage
• Lemon

FALLAFELS

• 400g cooked chickpeas
• 100g cooked “Al dente” quinoa
• One shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• A bunch of coriander, leaves removed
• A bunch of finely chopped chives
• One egg
• Salt and pepper
• A teaspoon of cumin
• Olive oil
• A courgette, not too large, grated
  
  SAUCE
• A small pot of semi-thick crème fraîche
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (depending on taste)
• A dash of olive oil
• Half a lemon juice

Recipe

Schnitzels:

1. Cut the aubergines in 2 lengthways without peeling them. Put them in the oven at 180°C for 20-30 minutes. The aim is to precook them and dry out the flesh a little.
2. Peel the aubergines, keeping the green ends, then mash with a fork to flatten the flesh like a cutlet.
3. If necessary, blot the prepared aubergines between two sheets of kitchen paper to remove as much water as possible.
4. On a plate, mix a few tablespoons of flour with the spice of your choice and soak both sides of the aubergines in this mixture.
5. Dip both sides of the aubergines in the beaten egg before covering with breadcrumbs.
6. Once breaded, fry the aubergines in a pan. The simplest option is to use a sufficient quantity of sunflower oil to obtain a deep-fry effect, and to monitor the cooking to obtain a beautiful golden colour. If necessary, blot on kitchen paper to remove excess fat.
7. Serve with a squeeze of lemon in the same way as for traditional frying.
8. Cooking variation: Melt a large knob of butter with a few fresh sage leaves, adding a dash of oil to prevent the butter turning black too quickly. Brown the aubergines in the resulting mixture.

Fallafels & Sauce:

1. Mash the chickpeas like hummus to obtain a paste. Add the egg, a tablespoon of olive oil and the spices.
2. Mix all the ingredients together by hand in a bowl to make the paste as smooth as possible.
3. Using two tablespoons, form small quenelles and place in a hot frying pan with a little oil. Brown on all sides
   
4. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add a tablespoon of mustard to spice things up a little.