Green tomatoes and eggplant "meatballs"

Green tomatoes - the last of the 2013 growing season

It was the perfect chilly fall day, full of bright sunshine.  I took advantage of the weather to take out all the rest of the summer plants that were succumbing to the dips to the freezing mark at night.  As I worked, I was reminded why I love gardening so much.  How gardening is more than just about watching plants grow from seed to full flower or fruit.

The work was strenuous enough for a good workout, with all the bending and reaching, shoveling, carting the wheelbarrow loads (I stopped counting around 7 piled high).  As I was working alone, it was truly meditative work with only an occasional bark from our dog, Noah, as he chased a few remaining bumblebees rushing to gather the last of the pollen.

I ended up with a small basket of peppers and an abundance of green, cherry tomatoes.  I'm hoping that a few days in a sunny window will help most of them ripen fully or I'm looking at a lot of tiny fried green tomatoes, green tomato chutney, green salsa...

If they ripen nicely, I'll be able to make sauce to serve over some crispy eggplant "meatballs" inspired by this original recipe in the Washington Post.

Eggplant meatballs served over lightly sautéed kale with garlic

Eggplant "Meatballs"

Makes 4 servings

1 large globe eggplant or 3 Asian variety, cut in half
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small sweet bell pepper, but in half
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped (sage, basil, oregano or mix) or 1 tablespoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cups whole grain bread crumbs
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (more as necessary)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more if desired)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
red pepper flakes or finely diced jalapeño
course cornmeal (polenta) for dusting

Heat the grill or broiler in the oven.
Cut the eggplant into 1 inch thick slices.  Drizzle the eggplant and green pepper with olive oil. Grill or broil, turning as necessary until soft and lightly browned.  Dice the cooked vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly Oil a baking pan.
Put all the ingredients except the cornmeal into a mixing bowl and stir together.  If the mixture is too wet, add more garbanzo bean flour until the mixture is firm enough to hold together when rolling into balls.  Shape scoops of the dough into golf ball shape.  Roll each one in a little cornmeal or polenta and place on an oiled baking pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.  Serve topped with your favorite tomato sauce, pasta, grain or tucked in a pita pocket as a sandwich.

After cooking, extra can be frozen on a cookie sheet, and then stored in a freezer bag until ready to use. To reheat, thaw as many as needed,  Then sauté in a lightly oiled skillet until heated through and lightly crispy.

Thanks for reading!


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