Eggplant and Porcini (Meatless) Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

It's overcast and dare-I-say chilly here this morning and it feels so good. Last week, we had a run of 100-degree days, and not only were they unwelcomed, but there are only so many hot weather dinner options. In short, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being in the kitchen and doing some real cooking for a change. 

Apart from the heat wave though, things have been looking up around here. Matt got a new job! (And bonus, this major life change also allows him to come home a bit earlier so that he can spend some time with Teddy before bed!) And I finished a new piece of writing—something I hadn't done for months—a post-baby problem of mine I'd written (complained?) about over on Grizzly and Golden. 

But back to these meatballs: Matt and I loved them. Really loved them. Plus, the texture wasn't too far off from normal meat-full meatballs. As I alluded to before, they are a bit labor intensive, but it's all of the good kind of labor—roasting, simmering, frying until golden-browned.

We were also really pleased with the wine we drank with them: Symmetry (2011 Meritage) from Rodney Strong vineyards. I rarely say yes to PR requests—maybe two or three times in the last five years— but when the good people at Rodney Strong vineyards offered to send us some bottles, I simply couldn't say no. Their Healdsburg location made me nostalgic for our 2011 trip to the beautiful Russian River Valley. Plus, good wine is important to new moms (and I suspect, to tenured moms as well).

Point being, this is kind of a perfect late summer/early fall meal. I'm already looking forward to making it again.

Eggplant and Porcini "Meatballs" in Tomato Sauce via Food and Wine

serves 4

1 large eggplant (1 1/4 pounds)
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (I accidentally bought only half an ounce and though it worked fine, I think next time I'll go for the full ounce.)
Boiling water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
Two 28-ounce cans imported whole Italian tomatoes, seeded and pureed with their juices
2 tablespoons chopped basil, plus leaves for garnish
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 cups fresh bread crumbs (from 6 ounces crustless country bread)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
All-purpose flour, for coating
Vegetable oil, for frying
Crusty bread, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Prick the eggplant all over with a fork and set it on a baking sheet. Roast in the center of the oven for 1 hour, until very soft and collapsed. Let cool slightly, then scrape the eggplant flesh into a large bowl and let cool completely. Discard the skin.

Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, cover the porcini with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and let stand until softened, 30 minutes; drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Rinse the porcini to remove any grit. Finely chop the porcini.

In an enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and half of the garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and pour in the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before reaching the grit; bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until thickened, 1 hour. Add half of the chopped basil and season with salt and pepper.

Fold the chopped porcini, bread crumbs, eggs, 2 ounces of cheese, parsley and the remaining garlic and chopped basil into the eggplant. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Form the eggplant mixture into twenty 1 3/4-inch balls, rolling tightly. Dust the balls with flour and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Add half of the meatballs at a time and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with crusty bread and grated cheese.