05/09/2018
Eggplant balls (Polpette di melanzane)

These meltingly soft vegetarian balls are inspired by the recipe from chef Giuseppe Giovanni Di Martino of the restaurant Cappero Rosso in Pizzo Calabro.

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 2 eggplants
• 1 egg
• a handful of black olives (pitted)
• 15 capers
• 1 clove of garlic
• some fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 20 grams of grated pecorino
• 50 grams of bread crumbs
• a dozen pine nuts

The Recipe

1. Preheat your oven at 200°C. Wash the eggplants, cut the ends. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. Check that they are well cooked with a knife.
2. Take them out of the oven, let them cool. Remove the skin and take out the flesh in a salad bowl.
3. Place the chopped garlic, parsley, capers, olives into the bowl. Add the pecorino, cumin and coarsely cut pine nuts, as well as a large pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything with a fork.
4. In a bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt. Form small balls with the eggplant. Dip them in the egg and then in the bread crumbs.
5. In a pan, heat some olive oil and fry them for a few minutes on each side until they are golden brown. You can enjoy them with some arugula salad, or a homemade tomato sauce!