-
1
For the meatballs:
-
2
Mix meatball ingredients together in a bowl.
-
3
Season with salt and pepper.
-
4
Form into small bite-sized meatballs (smaller than an inch in diameter).
-
5
For the sauce:
-
6
1.
-
7
Add olive oil to a pan on medium-high heat.
-
8
Brown the meatballs (dont fully cook them through), then take meatballs out of pan and set aside (leave the oil in the pan).
-
9
Make sure the brown bits stuck to the pan are not getting too dark.
-
10
2.
-
11
Turn heat to medium-low and add garlic and onions to pan.
-
12
Saute for a few minutes until soft.
-
13
Add the white wine or stock to the pan to deglaze it and get all the brown bits in the pan unstuck.
-
14
Let the liquid reduce for a few minutes.
-
15
3.
-
16
Add cubed eggplant to pan and stir.
-
17
Add 1/2 cup of water then cover the pan and steam the eggplant for 5 minutes.
-
18
Once eggplant has softened, add the canned tomatoes and simmer on low heat.
-
19
Season with salt and pepper, add meatballs back to the pan.
-
20
Let sauce simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
-
21
4.
-
22
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente while sauce is simmering.
-
23
Reserve one ladle of cooking water when draining pasta.
-
24
5.
-
25
Stir pasta through the sauce while its in the pan.
-
26
If sauce appears too thick, thin it out with some of the pasta cooking water.
-
27
Ladle pasta into bowls and serve with shaved pecorino or parmesan cheese.
-
28
*Note: If you are concerned about the bitter taste that eggplant may have sometimes, after cubing the eggplant salt it and leave in a colander for 20-30 minutes to extract the bitter juices.
-
29
Rinse and drain the eggplant, then carry on cooking.
