In our family and beyond, Earl is known for his funeral potatoes, a dish guaranteed to hasten a heart attack but also guaranteed to be the first to disappear. Who can resist cheddar cheese, diced potatoes, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup all baked together until golden?
But now Earl has a new dish. It’s one he learned about as a child, and he calls it “coocootza.” I spell it phonetically, as I have searched the Internet to see if such a word exists. Sorry, Earl, but it doesn’t. Nevertheless, Earl’s new dish must be authentic, as it comes with a story about how his grandfather used to make coocootza while others sat around and ate it hot off the stove. In another life, I’d compare it to potato pancakes.
Basically, coocootza is breaded and fried eggplant.
I”ve always enjoyed eggplant either roasted or as a parmesan. Recently, however, we were gifted with some absolutely spectacular specimens of the vegetable from a gardener friend of ours; and Earl went into action. Bought the requisite bread crumbs and cheese, did the necessary prep, fired up the skillet with extra virgin olive oil, and fried away. The result was crispy slices of battered eggplant that melted in your mouth.
This isn’t to say coocootza will replace funeral potatoes, as eggplant is season specific, and potatoes are not. I would venture to note, however, that Earl’s expanding repertoire continues to be heart-attack friendly. For the recipe, write me at anne@annebrandt.com.
Leave a Reply