Eggplant Croquettes

(Polpette di Melanzane
Purpetti ri Milinciani)

A good vegetarian dish filled with many elements available in most pantries of
every Sicilian household.
The eggplant croquets can be served fried as an appetizer or can go well cooked
in tomato sauce as a main dish. Any left over polpette, are delicious the
following day.
I remember that I used to take the leftovers to school in my lunch box.

Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants
3 large eggs
1 scallion, very finely chopped, the white base and part of the
green
1 cup grated cheese
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

Preparation
Boil the eggplants in an abundant 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
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 as an appetizer or combined with
tomato sauce as a main dish, matched with fresh sour dough bread.
Garnish with mint leaves.