Meat-Ball Puttanesca with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

I am a massive fan of Pasta Puttanesca, and I often make it for the family. Having the essential ingredients on hand to make this flavor-packed pasta dish makes it very convenient. You know what I mean: You have a craving at Midnight, or a friend drops by you want to make a savory and memorable dish that protrudes with flavor. The boldness and powerful aromas that come from the dish sing OMG!!! 

This dish is not exactly a Puttanesca, but it has similar ingredients. Why the meatball? I love meatballs so much I've dedicated a whole article to this delectable ball. 

I am going to keep this recipe very simple. This is mostly about taste which is subjective and needs to be adjusted to suit your palate. I've taken notes and weighed just about everything, with some additional tweaks along the way. This recipe is a base and can be modified to suit your needs. The percentages are there for replication and ratio modifications to make fewer or more meatballs. 

How to use the percentages? For example, let's say you have 2000 grams of meat  (Lamb, Beef, and Veal or a combo of all three..my favorite), and you want to calculate the Olives: 2000 g X 11% (or .11) = 200 grams. 

As we traverse the recipe, you will quickly realize that this is less of a recipe and more about a method and our tastebuds. Note of caution: This dish is an eruption of flavors that will make your home smell like the alleys of Italy. Some say the dish was created by Whores (Putta means roughly whore or prostitute, and puttanesca is an adjective from Putta) to lure men into the brothels. Hence, the savory smells and the prostitutes seduced drunkards walking along the streets after a night of drinking. Of course, the caveat has to be not to serve on a first date. 

These are some of the ingredients I
used. I always have these on hand, which makes making variations of Puttanesca possible. 

Stocked in my pantry- Sundried Tomatoes, Pitted Olives (whole & sliced), capers & Anchovies. To keep it very simple, I used Italian seasonings. If you want to add each herb separately, that is certainly an option, but I found this a better alternative for this recipe. 

Using a small processor, toss in the garlic, olives, capers, sundried tomatoes, and give it a whirl. Note: I rinsed off the capers. 

First, Saute the onions until soft and translucent (add a pinch of salt and black pepper). Next, add the above mixture (garlic, olives, capers, sundried tomatoes).

So the following ingredients are not in the recipe above. This is because I like to layer my spices and herbs. 

Add a little crushed red pepper and some Italian seasonings. Give it a taste and adjust!!! Does it need salt or black pepper? Deglaze with a good red wine or port. 

Place in a bowl and fold to cool. You do not want to add a hot mixture to the ground meat. I will sometimes do this the day before or an hour or so before adding to the meat. Placing it in the refrigerator after it has cooled a bit will expedite temp drop. Keep folding to release heat. 

Let's make some meatballs!! 

I used a combo of Lamb, Veal, and Beef. Toss everything in a large bowl, and add the eggs and everything per the recipe. 

Make a meatball; fry it, and give it a taste!! Adjust seasonings. Note: the ingredients highlighted in blue in the recipe are not perfect. I fried up maybe 4 meatballs until I got it right. I had three tasters helping me. You might find that you need more or fewer bread crumbs too. If you find it's too dry for your liking, add an extra egg. 

Note: If you want, you can make this entire dish in stages. Make the Meatballs a day or two in advance. 

The Eggplant sauce can be made the day before too.

How to choose an eggplant? First, make sure the skin is smooth and tight. And yes, Virginia, there are male & female Eggplants. Yes, my preference is the male Eggplant because I am a sexist. I am just kidding!!! I am a chauvinist!! That, too, is a joke. The male Eggplant has fewer seeds and can be bitter. In the end, I think mother nature is suggesting that females are more bitter than males. 😳 Wait, did I just say that out loud? Nah, I wrote it down silly. Jami, if you read this, know that I am just kidding. 

The preparation of the Eggplant is super easy and straightforward—first, slice and salt for 120-minutes and place in a colander to drain excess liquid. The salt will help reduce the bitterness. Also, soaking in milk or scooping out seeds will do the same thing. If I were going to process them for a smooth sauce, I would use the milk method, which softens and tenderizes the Eggplant. 

At the end of the 90-Minutes rinse the Eggplant in cold water to remove excess salt. Cut into half-inch pieces. 

This next part is super easy and only requires taste buds. First, chop the Shallots and garlic and fry in lots of olive oil with a touch of salt and pepper. Next, begin frying the Eggplant with some crushed red pepper, green onions, and fry until the Eggplant has softened a bit and has taken on some color. 

Add some port to deglaze and cook for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. 

I used one 28-oz can of Crushed Tomatoes and one can of 28-oz of Diced Tomatoes. To this, I added some Italian seasoning and some Romano-Cheese. Now for the wow factor!! I added some Sliced Kalamata Olives and rinsed capers. Now add some Mint and fresh Italian Parsley. Keep tasting until you get it right. 

Simmer for about 40- minutes and keep tasting. Adjust to suit your palate. 

Toss in your meatballs and cook for about 45-Minutes until soft. Taste them too. The first pic is when I first put them in the sauce. The second pic is about 45-Minutes into the cook. 

Make your Polenta!!! What's different about mine? I use Beef Stock instead of water. And I use the three kinds of cheese that are in the picture. Toss in some chives, and you are done!