Eggplant Wrapped Meatballs

Speciality of Chez Semoş. Turkish meatballs wrapped in eggplant and cooked in tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggplants (sliced lengthwise to 1/8 inch)
• 7-8 cubanelle peppers (sliced into 2 inch strips)
• 3 tomatoes (sliced)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Meatball ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion (grated)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• pinch of salt
• black pepper
• cumin

Instructions:

1. Soak the eggplants into salty cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse the salt from the eggplant and pat dry.
2. Meanwhile mix all the meatball ingredients, make walnut size meatballs. Cover and let sit in the fridge while you prepare the eggplant.
3. Heat the olive oil and deep fry the eggplants.
4. Place one slice of eggplant across another and place a meatball to the middle. Wrap both sides of the lower eggplant up and over followed by the sides of the outer slice of eggplant. Flip the wrapped meatball and top with a slice of tomato and a piece of pepper and secure with a toothpick.
5. Place the eggplant wrapped meatballs into a wide pan on a single layer. Top with the tomato paste dissolved in 2 cups of hot water. Once boiled, turn down the heat to medium and cook until the meatballs are done.

Tags: tomato, kebab, meatballs, eggplant