The recipe for aubergine meatballs, a delicious appetizer of the southern tradition that can also be sent as a second!
Now widespread throughout Italy, the eggplant meatballs they are really one of the most popular and loved dishes of the peninsula. We want to propose the recipe as it is prepared in Naples
It is southern tradition to turn vegetables into tasty delicacies to be eaten in any way and to be tasted even on trips outside the city. And kneading and frying becomes an art in Naples
How to resist, then, to some crispy and tasty eggplant balls, in which we find the sweetness of the raisins combined with the unique goodness of grated pecorino.
Ingredients
- 900 gr aubergines
- 70 gr grated pecorino cheese
- 50 gr raisins
- 3 eggs
- a spoonful of flour
- 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- a pinch of fresh oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 200 about ml of peanut oil
Prepare the dough
Soak the raisins in warm water and leave them aside. Meanwhile, we wash the aubergines and let's eliminate the ends, then cut them into slices. Salt the slices obtained and let them drain with a weight placed on top, which will allow the faster elimination of excess water. After the 30 minutes necessary for this operation, cut into small cubes very small and let it cook in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil for at least 10-12 minutes.
We fry the meatballs
Collect the cooked aubergines in a bowl and let them cool a bit, adding only the yolks and keeping the egg whites for breading. Season them with cheese, pepper, oregano and squeezed raisins. We form about 24 meatballs with the mixture of aubergines, then passing them in the flour, in the egg whites lightly beaten with the remaining whole egg and, finally, in the breadcrumbs.
Fry the meatballs in plenty of peanut oil, not too hot, for about 3 minutes or until crisp and crunchy. Let them drain on kitchen paper and serve them further seasoned with salt, if necessary.
