Polpette di Melanzane

Polpette di Melanzane

The garden is overflowing with tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. This recipe uses two of the three along with a few herbs.

Ingredients

• 2 lb Eggplant
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 4 Tbs Grated Pecorino
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs Parsley, chopped
• Bread Crumbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the green bits from the stem of the eggplants and boil them for 10 minutes. Put a small plate on top to keep 'em under water.
2. Remove the eggplants from the water and allow to cool. Keep the water hot to cook the pasta later.





3. Cut the eggplants in half and using a spoon scoop out the flesh. Discard the skins.
4. The eggplant flesh will be very wet. You can drain it in a sieve or use the traditional Italian method by squeezing it in a clean kitchen towel. In either case the goal is to remove as much water as possible.
5. Transfer the eggplant flesh to a food processor with the eggs, pecorino, parsley and about a quarter cup of bread crumbs. Pulse quickly three or four times - you want to retain as much texture as possible.
6. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and try to make a ball. If it's too wet add more breadcrumbs, pulse, and try again. Try not to add too much bread - you want very delicate balls.





7. When the mixture forms reasonable balls, heat about half an inch of olive oil in a frying pan, form a tablespoon of the eggplant mixture into a ball and fry it, gently rolling it until it's nicely browned on all sides.
8. Taste the eggplant ball and adjust the seasoning of the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Continue to make small balls from the eggplant mixture, fry them and drain on paper towels. I found that my mixture made extremely delicate balls and decided to roll them in panko to give them a crisper exterior. 





10. When all the eggplant has been fried assemble a simple tomato sauce. I used a a couple pounds of tomatoes and some fresh basil from the garden but a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes would work perfectly. 
11. Gently drop the balls into the tomato sauce and simmer while you prepare your favorite pasta,