Parmigiana with aubergine balls

main dish Italian cuisine lunch
Total: 2 hr | Active: 30 min.
vegetarian

Of all the aubergine dishes there are, melanzane alla parmigiana is everybody's favourite. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this dish. As opposed to being sliced, in this recipe the aubergine is formed into balls, with ricotta, breadcrumbs and herbs, making it a complete meal. As in the original, the balls are topped and baked with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Buon appetito!

Recipe by:
Daniela Bieder – daniela CULINAIRE

Ingredients

for 4 people

Aubergines
750 g aubergines, pierced deeply all over with a fork
Balls
1  fresh egg
125 g ricotta
100 g breadcrumbs
40 g grated Parmesan
½ bunch basil, finely chopped
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp salt
a little  pepper
Tomato sauce
350 g puréed tomatoes
½ dl water
1  garlic clove, squeezed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 pinch sugar
¼ tsp salt
a little  pepper
150 g mozzarella, torn into pieces
30 g grated Parmesan
2 sprig basil, leaves torn off

How it's done

Aubergines

Place the aubergines on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

To bake

Approx. 1 hr. in the centre of an oven .preheated to 220 °C. Turn the aubergines over halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven, leave the aubergines to cool.

Balls

Skin the aubergines, finely chop the aubergine flesh, place in a sieve and drain for at least 30 mins. Place the aubergine flesh in a bowl along with the egg, ricotta, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, basil and parsley, season and knead by hand to form a homogeneous mass. Cover and chill for approx. 1 hr. Shape the mass into approx. 20 small balls.

To fry

Heat the oil in a wide non-stick frying pan. Add the balls, reduce the heat, fry all over for approx. 10 mins.

Tomato sauce

Mix the tomatoes, water, garlic, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in the dish. Add the aubergine balls to the sauce. Top with the mozzarella, Parmesan and basil leaves.

Finish in the oven

Approx. 30 mins. in the centre of an oven preheated to 200 °C.

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