Eggplant Patties: Polpette di melanzane

Eggplant Patties in Tomato Sauce with Mozzarella

These eggplant patties are probably my favourite way to prepare eggplant.  They're packed with flavour, hearty, and quick to make.  Every time that I buy eggplant and run out of time to make the time-consuming dishes of my imagination (which is 9 times out of 10), I usually turn to this classic Italian fare.

Preamble on Variations

Every recipe that I've seen, from Marcella Hazan to Mario Batali, for these tasty fritters has the following main ingredients:  eggplant, ~1 egg per eggplant, ~1/3 cup breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, garlic, etc.  

It's in the etc that chefs express themselves. Some roast them in foil and throw in the skin to add bitterness, some flour the outside with flour, other with cornmeal, some do neither.  

Marcella Hazan goes simple and traditional, with parsley and parmesan, Batali wilds out with currants and pine nuts, and me?  Well, I'm from a small fishing village where we beat the need for refrigeration with salted and smoked meats and fishes (not unlike the Italians, really).  Most off, however, we loved to live off the BBQ for that smokey taste, so I use a technique to add a smokey flavour to the eggplant that I actually learned from my experience cooking Indian food.  

This is a recipe to make after you've completed a BBQ dinner for friends (directions below for oven method):

Recipe

Ingredients

2 Eggplants

5 cloves Garlic

¼ Red Onion

2 Eggs

1 cup Parmesan (fresh grated)

½ cup Parsley (chopped)

6 sprigs Sage (chopped)

1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
½ tbsp crushed Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Charcoal BBQ

Directions

When the coals on your BBQ have dimmed; when your burgers are all already lined up for your guests; run into the kitchen before sitting down to eat and rub down 2 fat eggplants with olive oil and sea salt.  Poke a few fork holes in the flesh and toss them on the Q (directly on the coals).  When you've scarfed your burgers, they'll be done.  Also, I've only done this on a Hibachi, so you might want to scarf quickly if you  are using a large charcoal BBQ.  When done, those eggplants should be soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.  

Remove the skin from the eggplant -- if it's not too charred you can always split the fruit in twain and scoop out the flesh.  It will probably be coming out in strings, so cube it up and toss it into a large mixing bowl.  Let it cool.

Once cooled, add all of the other ingredients, cover and let sit 30 minutes (it can sit longer, but cover it and put it in the fridge if you're going to let it sit longer).  Roll the mixture into balls, about the size you'd make for burgers and then flatten them so that they look like burger patties.  Note:  If you like humongous burger patties or McDonald's size thin ones, then you'll need to adjust (maybe a small fist-sized ball?).  

Add a generous amount of olive oil to a pan and brown them on each side.  And, I mean generous, so try to put your health concerns aside, it's oil, I know, but it's olive oil if that makes you feel any better.  Mind you, they'd probably be crazy tasty if you did them in lard (note to self).

Garnishes: These patties are amazing just on their own, they need no accompaniment.  But, I like to slap them in a delicious tomato sauce, sometimes in a spicy arrabiata (as in the picture), sometimes covered in cheese. 

Gas BBQ or Oven Method:  If you are unable to BBQ them, cook them the same way (with olive oil and salt), but on a high heat (pre-heated to 475F; you can go higher).  They will not blacken on the outside and they will not get smokey.  However, the sugars on the edges of the eggplant should carmelize to a delightful dark golden hue and this will add its own unique flavour to the dish.  If they have not carmelized then you took them out of the oven too early or your oven is lying to you and needs to be more hot (the size of your eggplant does matter).  Make it hotter next time.  Note: The eggplant pictured above were done using this method. 

Troubleshooting Tip (Patties too soft): If your patties are too soft, they probably have too much liquid in them.  You can let them sit uncovered longer and cross your fingers, or you can bite the bullet and add breadcrumbs (add 1 tbsp at a time).

Note to Vegans:  Your egg substitute will work just fine here.