Eggplant Croquettes
( Polpette di Melanzane –Purpetti ri Milinciani )
A good vegetarian dish filled with elements available in the pantry of every Sicilian household, eggplant croquets can be served fried as an appetizer or well cooked in tomato sauce as a main dish. Any leftover polpette are delicious the following day. I remember taking the leftovers to school in my lunch box.
- Serving Size4 to 6
- Sicilian Appetizers & VegetablesEggplant Croquettes
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants
- 3 large eggs
- 1 scallion, very finely chopped, using the white base and part of the green
- 1 cup grated cheese
- ¼ lb diced Caciocavallo or provola
- 2 oz pinoli nuts
- 2 oz currants or raisins
- Chopped fresh mint and chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Frying
- Enough olive oil to fry croquettes
- 2 eggs
- 1 lb breadcrumbs in a wide container
Instructions
Boil the eggplants in a large amount of salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size. Place in a colander to drain, and as soon as the eggplants are cool, cut in half and squeeze as much water out as possible.
In a large bowl, scoop out the eggplant and add the 3 eggs, scallion, diced and grated cheese, pinoli, currants, mint, parsley, pepper and a half of a cup of the breadcrumbs. Mix well, and if it is too watery, add more breadcrumbs a little at a time. Should the mixture be too dry, add some milk.
Make croquettes the size of a ping pong ball and form small cylinders. Beat two eggs and gently roll the croquettes into eggs, a few at a time. Remove one at a time and place in the container with breadcrumbs. Squeeze the breadcrumbs into croquettes and place in a dish. Fry or deep-fry croquettes until golden. Rest on paper towel.
Can be served hot or at room temperature. Serve as an appetizer or combined with tomato sauce as a main dish, along with fresh sourdough bread. Garnish with parsley leaves.