Eggplant “Meatballs” in Tomato Sauce

Yield

Yield: 4-5 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound eggplant (1 large or 2 to 3 medium to small)
  • 1½ to 2 cups dried bread crumbs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated (may substitute any other hard, aged cheese)
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh basil
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Unbleached all-purpose flour for dredging
  • Vegetable oil for roasting & frying
  • 3 cups fresh tomato sauce, heated to a simmer in a saucepan big enough to hold all the meatballs
  • Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Cut the eggplant(s) in half. Lightly coat all sides of the eggplant halves with vegetable oil. Place eggplant halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the skin is crinkled and collapsed and the interior is completely tender. Remove from the oven and let set briefly to cool. Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh onto a cutting board and discard the skin. Coarsely chop the flesh with a Chef’s knife. You should have just over one cup of eggplant.
  3. Put the eggplant flesh into a large bowl and add 1½ cup breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic, salt, cheese, basil and parsley. Fold everything together gently but thoroughly with a wooden spoon or spatula. If the mixture seems too wet and doesn’t hold together well, mix in a few more breadcrumbs.
  4. Spoon about 1 cup of flour into a shallow bowl. Have ready a platter lined with paper towels, waxed paper or a baking rack. Using your hands, form the eggplant mixture into golf ball-size balls. Dredge the balls in the flour and place them on the prepared platter. Press down on them gently to flatten them just a bit. You should end up with about fifteen 2-inch eggplant meatballs.
  5. Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep-frying pan or cast-iron skillet to reach a depth of at least ¼ to ½ inch. Place over medium-high heat and heat the oil just until it shimmers and a tiny ball of the eggplant mixture sizzles gently when you place it in the oil.
  6. Working in two batches, add the eggplant meatballs to the hot oil and fry until golden-brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn with a spatula and fry the other side until golden-brown, 2 minutes more. Continue to rotate the balls every couple of minutes until they are nicely browned.
  7. Transfer the eggplant meatballs from the frying pan onto a rack placed in a baking dish. Bake the “meatballs” for 10-15 minutes at 350°F. Remove them from the oven and either serve immediately with fresh tomato sauce and cheese to garnish or freeze them. When you are ready to reheat them, take them directly from the freezer and place them on a cookie sheet. Reheat in the oven until they are fully warmed.

Notes

**NOTE: These can also be formed into a patty to make a tasty vegetarian burger that can be eaten as a sandwich with thin slices of onion, tomatoes and a balsamic mayonnaise spread.

Recipe adapted from Domenica Marchetti’s book, The Glorious Vegetables of Italy.

Photo from: Marge Ely for The Washington Post

 

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Eggplant Meatballs
Eggplant Meatballs
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