I love to make eggplant polpette; a great way to use all of the luscious eggplants we have in our garden this summer. Usually I only make eggplant Parmesan but it's a time-consuming dish that involves cooking in a hot kitchen with the oven: not what you want to be doing in the heat of summer.
Eggplant polpette take a little under an hour to make start to finish without much cooking time. And certainly no hot oven!
Eggplant polpette are also a great way to prepare an eggplant dish that you can freeze and serve year-round. We have them all summer long with a green salad and a side of low-fat Greek yogurt - a delicious pairing.
Eggplant Polpette (Patties) Recipe
Ingredients:
700 g Eggplant
One clove garlic, peeled and minced
60 g provolone cheese, or another flavorful semi-hard cheese of your choice
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or pecorino Romano
One handful basil leaves
One handful parsley leaves
One egg
Breadcrumbs as needed
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 cups peanut oil or other vegetable oil for frying
Preparation:
Cut off both ends of the eggplant, then peel.
Cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes.
Boil the eggplant in lightly salted water for five minutes then drain.
While the eggplant is draining grate the Parmesan cheese and the provolone cheese.
Mince the basil and parsley together.
Once the eggplant has drained spread it out lengthwise along a dish towel.
Roll up the dish towel lengthwise and twist both ends in opposite directions over the sink to remove any additional liquid.
Lightly beat the egg and place in a mixing bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients.
Place the eggplant and all the other remaining ingredients except for the frying oil in the mixing bowl.
Mix the ingredients together thoroughly with a wooden spoon or your hands.
If the mixture still seems too moist to form polpette, or patties, add additional breadcrumbs as needed.
Moisten your hands with water then form 1 inch polpette.
Sprinkle a baking sheet generously with bread crumbs and as you form the polpette set them on a baking sheet.
Gently roll all the eggplant polpette in the breadcrumbs then place them on a separate plate ready for frying.
At this point you can freeze the polpette and fry at a later date straight from the freezer.Alternatively you can fry the eggplant polpette first and then freeze.
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok until a drop of water in the oil sizzles.
Fry the polpette a few at a time to avoid overcrowding.
After a minute turn the polpette over and fry on the other side until golden.
Use this spider strainer to scoop the polpette from the oil and place on these parchment paper sheets to drain.
Place the parchment paper sheets on this metal draining rack.
It's a good idea to put old newspaper under the parchment paper for extra absorption.
Once all the eggplant polpette are fried salt and serve immediately.
Eggplant polpette are delicious served alongside a main course dish, with salad or on their own with low-fat Greek yogurt.
Ingredients
- 700 g Eggplant
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- 60 g provolone cheese or another flavorful semi-hard cheese of your choice
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated or pecorino Romano
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 1 handful parsley leaves
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons Breadcrumbs as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 cups peanut oil or other vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut off both ends of the eggplant, then peel.
- Cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes.
- Boil the eggplant in lightly salted water for five minutes then drain.
- While the eggplant is draining grate the Parmesan cheese and the provolone cheese.
- Mince the basil and parsley together.
- Once the eggplant has drained spread it out lengthwise along a dish towel.
- Roll up the dish towel lengthwise and twist both ends in opposite directions over the sink to remove any additional liquid.
- Lightly beat the egg and place in a mixing bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients.
- Place the eggplant and all the other remaining ingredients except for the frying oil in the mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together thoroughly with a wooden spoon or your hands.
- If the mixture still seems too moist to form polpette, or patties, add additional breadcrumbs as needed.
- Moisten your hands with water then form 1 inch polpette.
- Sprinkle a baking sheet generously with bread crumbs and as you form the polpette set them on a baking sheet.
- Gently roll all the polpette in the breadcrumbs then place them on a separate plate ready for frying.
- At this point you can freeze the polpette and fry at a later date straight from the freezer. Alternatively you can fry the polpette first and then freeze.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok until a drop of water in the oil sizzles.
- Fry the polpette a few at a time to avoid overcrowding.
- After a minute turn the polpette over and fry on the other side until golden.
- Use a X to scoop the polpette from the oil and place on x paper to drain.
- It's a good idea to put old newspaper under the x paper for extra absorption.
- Once all the polpette are fried salt and serve immediately.
- Polpette are delicious served alongside a main course dish, with salad or on their own with low-fat Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
Are you looking for more delicious eggplant recipes?
I've got you covered! How about this fabulous mono-portion eggplant parmesan?
Pasta alla Norma is a scrumptious Sicilian classic pasta dish.
Curried Eggplant Soup is another one of my favorites.
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