Appetizers
Polpette di Melanzane alla Norma (Eggplant Meatballs)
Preparation
90 min
Cooking time
25 min
Portions
4-6
For a lighter version of this recipe, bake the meatballs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 375 °F instead of frying them.
Ingredients
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Peel a few strips off the eggplants but leave them whole. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle them with a generous amount of olive oil (about ¾ cup). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Once cooked and soft, remove the eggplants from the oven and let cool. Peel a bit more of the skin off the eggplants (don’t remove it all, the small bits of skin add a lot of flavour) and mash them with a fork.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggplant pulp, breadcrumbs, both types of cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix with hands until fully incorporated.
- In a large pan, heat the remaining olive oil (¼ cup) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, form balls (1½ to 2 inches in diameter) with the eggplant mixture and place them in the pan. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan. Press each ball down gently with a fork to flatten. Sear the meatballs in the pan until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side, then transfer them to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggplant balls, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.
- Once all the meatballs are cooked, warm up the tomato basil sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and cover. Once the sauce begins to boil, lower the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Serve hot on top of your favourite pasta and garnish with more ricotta salata. Buon appetito!
