Mariann's Eggplant Meatballs
-
- May
- 8
After yesterday’s story about blogging grandmother Mariann Raftery, several of you were asking for her recipe for eggplant meatballs.
“Basically, to get my kids to eat more vegetables,” she e-mails later. “I make eggplant balls by peeling, cubing eggplant and boiling it, then squeeze out all the water, to make meatballs without the meat, and called them eggplant meatballs, because my kids thought they were meatballs at first. We fry or bake – frying is better – and serve with homemade spaghetti sauce for dipping. They never make it to the table.”
After the jump — the recipe.
Mariann’s Eggplant Meatballs
1 large eggplant
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 egg
1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs, homemade or canned
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for frying
Tomato sauce
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash, peel and cube eggplant. Boil eggplant cubes for 30 minutes to an hour until the eggplant is cooked through, and soft. Drain eggplant well and let cool. Place in a large bowl.
Place the chopped onions and garlic in a small microwave dish and microwave to soften up for a minute. Add to the eggplant. Then add egg, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon at first. Then switch to your hands for this is the only real way to make eggplant meatballs.
This is really were the feel of the mixture is determined. If you feel the eggplant mixture is too mushy, add exra breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is a consistency you can work with to make balls.
Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan. Heat until shimmering but not smoking.
Form eggplant mixture into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. (You might need to oil your hands to keep the mixture from sticking to your palms.) Place into the hot oil and fry until brown on all sides and eggplant is cooked all the way through. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve with tomato sauce on the side for dipping.
ENJOY! - The meatless meatball!
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 11:22 am by Liz Johnson.
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