Eggplant Balls – Polpettine di melanzane
This is a wonderful eggplant appetizer that I learned to prepare on my vacation in Calabria in the South of Italy. Even if you don’t like eggplants this is a recipe to try. When I make them people rarely guess that it is eggplant. You can prepare the eggplants the day before then refrigerate them and then mix them with the other ingredients just before frying them. They can be served hot but they’re also good when eaten 1 or 2 hours later.
Ingredients:
1 lb. eggplant
3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped basil
3 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 garlic clove crushed
frying oil
This recipe makes about 20 balls.
Instructions:
1. Clean the eggplant and halve it. Put the two parts in a pan and cover them with water. When the water starts to boil, cook them for 45 minutes.
2. Remove them from the water, strain, squeeze them and let them cool.
3. Remove the skin and the seeds then cut the eggplant into small pieces.
4. Add them to a bowl with the others ingredients and mix well.
5. Roll the mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut.
6. Heat the frying oil and when hot add a few balls at a time.
7. Deep fry them until they are brown.
8. Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess of oil.
9. Serve once they have cooled off a little bit.
Patty – saw the eggplant balls recipe, and decided to make it. However, as I put the eggplant in the pan and “cover them with water”, they FLOAT!! Is this ok? How do I cover them with water if half of them are floating above the water?
Paul, you’re right the eggplants float. Just cook them mostly from the skin side and then turn them and let them soak on the cut side. I’ll update the instructions above.
Thanks, Patty
Could Parmegiano Reggiano Stravecchio be substituted for the Pecorino cheese? I love my Reggiano!
@Shelly: Yes you can use Parmigiano instead of Pecorino cheese.
Great recipe. Can they be frozen?
@Lucy: I’ve never tried to freeze them but I think it’s possible to do so. Freeze the eggplant balls before frying them. When you decide to eat them fry them directly frozen.