A dish with very simple ingredients that become special. The crispy eggplant balls with a gooey center are perfect for a light and tasty main course, or served as a delicious appetizer. Eggplants go well with different recipes, the balls are very versatile, they can be seasoned and spiced with ingredients you like more, and you can choose to bake them for a lighter version or fry them for the tastier version, as I did… In this recipe I wanted to enhance the flavor of the eggplant by adding classic ingredients like bread, egg, and cheese, as well as tuna in oil creating a soft center with mozzarella and mortadella. For the coating, I used flake breadcrumbs, which you can find in all supermarkets, that will give super crunchiness to the outside. I assure you they will be amazing, and you will make a great impression with little effort. So, all that’s left is to try and taste them!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stove, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 kg eggplants
- 1 egg
- 1.75 oz pecorino romano (or your preferred type)
- 5 cups bread
- 2 cans of tuna in oil, 80g each
- 3.5 oz mozzarella
- 3 slices mortadella
- salt
- pepper
- 7 oz flake breadcrumbs for coating
- oil for frying
Tools
- Frying Pan
Steps
First, clean the eggplants, then cut them into not very large cubes.
In the pan, add a drizzle of oil and the eggplants, let them wilt over moderate heat for about 30 minutes, stirring them from time to time.
At this point, the eggplants are ready, add salt and pepper.
Pour them into a container, in the meantime, cut the bread into fairly small pieces and add it to the still warm eggplants, mix well to soften the bread.
Then add the egg, pecorino, and tuna, mix and combine all the ingredients well.
Now prepare the balls. Prepare the breadcrumbs in a container. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and the mortadella into small pieces.
Take a bit of eggplant and place it in your hand, (you decide the size, the more eggplant you put, the bigger the ball will be), press in the center to make a concave shape, then put some mozzarella and mortadella pieces. Cover with more eggplant, closing the ball.
Gently press it between your hands and coat it well. Continue the same way until done. If you have time, let them rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
In a pan, add plenty of oil and heat over moderate heat, bring it to a temperature of about 340°F and immerse the balls, keep them for 3 minutes per side without turning up the heat.
Drain them and place them on absorbent paper.
Your crispy eggplant balls with a gooey center are ready! WOW!!!
Enjoy them with a good side salad.
Storage
You can store the cooked eggplant balls for one day at room temperature, reheating them in an air fryer for a few minutes or in a traditional oven. For longer periods, you can freeze them. If you prefer to store them before frying, keep them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until the next day.
