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Eggplant Meatballs with Scamorza Heart

17/11/2023

The eggplant meatballs with scamorza cheese heart are a delicious dish and an excellent way to use eggplants in a creative way. I propose an Italian variant that I hope you will like.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized eggplants
  • 200 g of scamorza cheese (or smoked scamorza if you prefer a more intense flavor)
  • 1 egg
  • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 100 g of bread crumbs
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • A bunch of fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Flour as needed for coating
  • Olive oil for frying

Preparation

  1. Start by washing and drying the eggplants. Cut them into cubes and place them in a colander, sprinkling them with a little salt. Let them drain for about 30 minutes to remove the bitterness.
  2. After draining, cook the eggplant cubes in a pan with a drizzle of oil and the garlic cloves until they are soft.
  3. Once cooked, remove them from the heat and let them cool. Remove the garlic cloves and transfer the eggplants to a bowl, mashing them with a fork or passing them through a food mill until you have a homogeneous consistency.
  4. To the eggplant mixture, add the egg, grated Parmesan cheese, finely chopped basil, salt, and pepper to taste and mix well.
  5. Cut the scamorza cheese into small cubes that will be the “heart” of the meatballs.
  6. Take some of the eggplant mixture, flatten it in your hand, and place a cube of scamorza cheese in the center. Wrap the mixture around the cheese, forming a meatball and ensuring the scamorza is completely covered.
  7. Coat the meatballs first in flour, then in beaten egg (if necessary for a stronger breading), and finally in bread crumbs.
  8. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until they are golden brown on all sides.
  9. Drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Your eggplant meatballs with scamorza cheese heart are ready to be enjoyed! They are perfect as both an appetizer and a main course, possibly accompanied by a fresh salad.

Curiosity

This dish is an excellent example of how Italian cuisine is a master at reinventing simple ingredients like eggplants to create surprising dishes. Scamorza cheese, with its delicate yet distinctive flavor, adds a dimension of taste and a pleasantly creamy surprise at the center of each meatball.

Eggplant Meatballs with Scamorza Heart