Eggplant Schnitzel with Whipped Honey & Spicy Green Herb Sauce | This Must Be the Place | Rachael Ray

For the spice blend, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the spices and toast, tossing frequently, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Let the spices cool, then transfer them to a spice grinder and pulse until powdery. Makes about ½ cup. 

For the spicy green herb sauce (schug), in a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients except the EVOO until the herbs are finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly stream in the EVOO, mixing until the sauce is smooth. Makes 1 ½ to 2 cups. 

For the eggplant schnitzel, slice the eggplants lengthwise into planks ¼- to ½-inch thick. Salt generously on both sides and transfer to paper towels to drain for 30 minutes.  

Set up a dredging station: In one shallow dish, season the flour with some salt and pepper. In a second shallow dish, whisk the eggs and mustard. In a third dish, mix the breadcrumbs, panko, cumin and caraway spice blend and nutmeg.  

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat ½ inch safflower oil over medium to medium-high heat. Line a large sheet pan with foil and top with a wire rack. Preheat the oven to 275°F. 

Pat the eggplant planks dry. Coat the eggplant first in the flour, then in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Working in batches, fry until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the wire rack to drain. While they’re warm, spread a thin layer of honey on the eggplant. Transfer to the oven to keep warm while you fry the rest. 

In a small skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high to high heat. Add the capers and fry until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.  

Arrange the eggplant on a platter. Top with the fried capers and schug.