By The Greek Vegetarian :: Romeo’s
As seen on Season 5 of Adelady TV, Channel Nine
Serves :: 4-6
Ingredients
500 grams lamb mince
2 small eggplants
4-5 large white potatoes
2 cans tinned tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
220g bambini bocconcini
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
1 small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, mint and dill
1 tbsp Allspice
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees fan forced.
In a large saucepan, heat a generous amount of olive oil into the pan and heat. Add in half of the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock powder, half of the allspice and oregano along with 1.5 litres of water. Stir well and allow to simmer on a low heat until the meatballs are made. Season with pepper.
Chop the eggplants into small cubes around 1cm x 1cm pieces and roll in the flour.
In a large deep skillet, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and heat. Place the eggplant into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook the eggplants until the cubes are lightly caramelised. Set the eggplant aside to cool.
In a food processor, process the eggplant until the mixture is fine then place into a large bowl. Place the remaining half of the onions and garlic into the bowl along with the lamb mince, eggs, breadcrumbs, the remaining half of the oregano and allspice. Chop half a bunch of parsley and add into the mixture. Mix well with your hands until well combined.
Take a small amount of mince and flatten into a round disk (approximately 5cm in diameter). Place a whole bocconcini in the centre of the patty then wrap the mince mixture around the cheese, forming a ball. Place the meatballs into a large baking dish.
Cut the potatoes lengthways into wedges and place into the baking dish with the meatballs.
Finally, pour the tomato mixture over the meatballs and potatoes and place into the oven for approximately 1 hour.
Best served hot and accompanied with a fresh salad.