Eggplant Croquettes

These eggplant croquettes are a Greek dish that we eat often during summer with a bit of tzatziki ! When I tasted it for the first time, I thought that some cumin would go well as well, but the classic recipe does not have cumin in it! It’s up to you to try  It’s really easy to make and very good :-)

In two words:

“A nation would be complete when it has cumulated the maximum of its qualities and imperfections”

To Start...

difficulty easy
preparation– 10’
cooking - 30'
serves - 10  

Ingredients

  • 2 eggplants (~500gr)
  • ¼ cup of breadcrumbs
  • 20gr of sheep cheese (¼ cup)
  • ½ egg (*)
  • ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
  • ¼ of a small onion
  • a little bit of parsley
  • 35gr of breadcrumbs for frying
  • oil for frying
  • 5 turn mills of Kampot black pepper

Steps

  • Preheat the oven at 180°C
  • Wash the eggplants and remove the green parts
  • Slice them in half in the vertical axis
  • Make some X incisions at their skin, and add some fleur de sel or coarse salt
  • Cook for 30’
  • Once they are out of the oven, press their skin with a fork and drain as much water as possible
  • Place them into a plate and let them cool
  • Once they are cool enough, remove their skin with a knife
  • Squeeze the eggplants with your hand to remove as much water as possible
  • Place the eggplants in an electric chopper and form a puree
  • Slice the onion very finely
  • In a bowl, add:
    • the eggplants
    • the breadcrumbs
    • the cheese
    • the egg
    • the baking powder
    • the onion
    • the parsley
    • the pepper
  • Mix all ingredients together with your hand
  • Form 10 small balls
  • Add the breadcrumbs for frying into a dish
  • Heat-up the oil at 175°C
  • Pass each ball from the breadcrumbs to cover them up just before placing them into the frying oil
  • Place the balls into the frying oil, and fry them until they become golden
  • Place the eggplant croquettes into a plate covered with some paper towel to remove the excess of oil
  • Dégustez vite !
  • A pure marvel ;-)

Inspiration

The recipe of Eggplant Patties (Melitzanokeftedes) in this book Alexiadou Vefa, Greek Cuisine, Vefa Alexiadou, Athens, 2004, p.82.

(*) beat the egg in an omelette and remove half of it to use it in the recipe 

o-o C'est si bon ! o-o

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