From a presentation point of view, there is little that you can do to make these look great, though I do tend to make them as dainty round balls. However from a taste point of view I have never yet served them and my guests not come back for more because their taste is sublime.
For a deeper richer aubergine taste, roast the aubergines in an oven until soft and then scrape out the flesh. They are served in Italy as an afternoon snack, but they are great for lunch with a large green salad. Because they taste better at room temperature they are great for a picnic.
Ingredients
1 kilo of aubergines or eggplants,
125g of golden raisins,
300g of dried breadcrumbs,
200g of pecorino cheese,
125g of lightly toasted breadcrumbs,
25g mint,
salt,
peperoncino or black peer and a dash of chilli flakes,
4 large organic eggs,
flour for dusting
Oil to deep fry.
Method
Either dry roast the aubergine in the oven and squeeze out the flash, or chop and peel the aubergines and boil for ten minutes. During this time they are buoyant and keep wanting to bob up in the water, gently push them down with a wooden spoon.
Soak the raisins in a little boiling water for a few minutes to plump then up and drain. Drain the aubergines in a colander and leave to go cold. Then press them between your fists to squeeze out any excess water, if this step is not done the final fritter will be soggy limp and fit for the bin.
Mix the aubergine flesh with 200g of the breadcrumbs, the cheese, raisins, pine nuts, mint, and the seasonings, as well as two of the eggs. The mixture should be soft but not wet, if is too wet add the rest of the breadcrumbs, if it is too dry add an egg. Roll out the fritters between your palms to the size of golf balls.
Beat the remaining two eggs in a large shallow bowl, place the remaining flour and breadcrumbs on two separate plates. Coat the fritters in flour, then egg then the breadcrumbs. The flour makes the egg stick, the egg makes the breadcrumbs stick and go golden when fried. Deep fry until golden and drain. Serve these fritters hot or at room temperature.
Italian food is simple elegant and fabulous, it makes the most of the freshest ingredients. Italians don't ask how much food is they ask how fresh it is. The concept of a weekly shop is alien to them, their fruit and vegetables are bought every day. The fantastic thing about Italian food is the fact that they have no such thing; Italy was a separate conglomeration of states until 1870.
Each area has its own cuisine and that cuisine has been forged by Centuries of geographical area and history. For instance the food in the North West bears a closer relationship to mid European food because it was influenced by its neighbor the Austro- Hungarian empire. In the South the flavours of the Mediterranean prevail, the olive oils, the fresh and dried fruit influenced by the Moors, the tomatoes brought from the New World.
Read my introduction to Italian food and peruse the general recipes, then follow the links to the tastes of Tuscany, Lombardy and the tastes of Sicily. Italian food is the ultimate comfort food celebrating the family, family life and family celebrations with a passion for food.
Because Italian food celebrates the magnificence of the food and not the chef it is easy to recreate at home. Generally it is fast and flavorsome, you can have home made pasta dish on the table in half an hour even if you have made the pasta yourself.
Antipasti, Lasagna, Chicken Saltimboca, Italian Meatloaf, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, Zuppa di Pesce, Sole Florentine, Italian Meatloaf, Braised Artichokes, Zucchini Parmesan, and Ricotta Easter Pie are all described so vividly that you can taste them before you make them.
Feel free to reprint any of my articles simply use a citation. Thanks Auntie Katkat.
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