Baked Pasta Shells Filled with Mushrooms and Ham

When I need a little comfort, I make pasta and bake it. Nothing beats bubbly pasta bake piping hot straight out of the oven with its crunchy top and molten middle. No matter the reason you may need comforting, whether it be because you miss someone you love, jammed your finger in a drawer at work and are now sporting a purple fingernail, you're angry at the government or have run out of milk for your morning coffee. I truly believe pasta bake helps, even just a little. 

This recipe of stuffed giant pasta shells filled with garlicky mushrooms and prosciutto covered in a bechamel sauce and baked until golden is one for the repertoire. It's from Gennaro Contaldo's new cookbook 'Gennaro's Pasta Perfecto!'. You start by chopping everything very small, which sounds a little tedious but instead of chopping nearly a kilo of mushrooms by hand, because let's remember, you are making this because you want a little warm n' fuzzy, get the food processor/Tupperware chopper thing/ grater out and use the help you have. I did and it worked perfectly. But, if chopping is your thang/therapeutic, then you go girl! Chop away!

After you've finished your're chopping/blitzing it all comes together in about four simple steps. One, cook the pasta until al dente, remember it will continue to cook a little in the oven. Two, fry your garlic, prosciutto, mushrooms, and white wine until everything is cooked through and smelling delish. Three, make your white sauce, which always sounds harder than it actually is - trust the method below and you'll do great. And four,  putting it all together and filling your pasta shells. Ok, five, topping it with more parmesan and shoving the whole thing in the oven for 20 minutes.

When it comes out, it's creamy and crunchy, piping hot, full of flavour because of the mushroom-packed filling and white sauce with its touch of nutmeg, it's a tray of comfort. If you want a vego version, you can remove the prosciutto and up your mushrooms, or even add some soaked dried porcini mushrooms to get some extra mushroom-i-ness into it. 

Make it for yourself when you need the warm and fuzzy's or make it for someone else who does. Either way, just make it because Gennaro thinks 'Pasta is love' and I agree. I think we can all do with some more love in the world.

Baked Pasta Shells Filled with Mushrooms and Ham

aka Conchiglioni Al Forno Ripieni Di Fungi e Prosciutto

Recipe from Gennaro's Pasta Perfecto! by Gennaro Contaldo

Serves 4

About 30 conchiglinoi pasta shells (giant pasta shells)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

150g prosciutto, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

750g mushrooms, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

sea salt and ground black pepper

For the white sauce:

3 tablespoons (40g) butter

1/4 cup (40g) plain flour

500ml (2 cups) milk

pinch sea salt

pinch grated nutmeg

150g (2 1/4 cups) grated parmesan

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the conchiglinoi until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time). Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water and let drain upside-down on a large plate or tray, so any excess water drain off.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the prosciutto and saute for 1 minute, then add the garlic and sweat for another minute. Stir in the mushrooms, increase the heat, add the wine and saute for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, then stir in the parsley and let cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 180C fan/ 200C / 400F.

Make the white sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat and, with a small whisk, mix in the flour very quickly to avoid lumps. Gradually add the milk, whisking well in between each addition. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, whisking all the time, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, season with salt and nutmeg, and stir in half of the grated parmesan.

Combine a ladleful of the white sauce with the mushroom mixture and mix well. Line the bottom of a large baking dish (about 34 x 22cm) with about half of the white sauce. Fill the pasta shells with the mushroom mixture and lay them in a dish on top of the sauce. Pour over the remaining white sauce and sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Fress - to eat copious and without restraint.

Fress - to eat copious and without restraint.

What a great word! and a pretty cool name for a cookbook if you ask me.

Fress by Emma Spitzer, the cookbook with the very cool name arrived in my letter box a good few weeks ago and I've been meaning to write this up for a little while now. It's is a cookbook that's full of traditions and family recipes. I have always felt a pull to find out my family tree and where everyone came from but to be honest, I just want to know what they ate. I want to know what traditions were kept, if something was made on a weekly basis? or for Easter or every birthday? I want to know what they kept on cooking and eating even when life got...well life. I'm nosey. And well because, everyone has to eat no matter whats going on in their life or how shitty their day was. We still have to eat.

Zuppa Di Funghi - Wild Mushroom Soup from Emiko Davies' Acquacotta

Sometimes it's the small things that make you feel better, more yourself again. Sometimes it's as simple as a bowl of soup on a chilly night, curled up on the couch.

A furry friend keeping your toes warm doesn't hurt either.

The past few weeks have been so up and down I don't really know where I am half the time but more on that another day. I've been cooking here and there but mostly not for myself, I've been in a different kitchen that has a dishwasher and oh how much more enjoyable cooking is when you can load the dishwasher and not have a giant sink full of dishes to tackle at the end. I've also learnt a snippet of my family's history that has me so curious about what my grosi and great grosi (swiss grandma) might have cooked for the ones they loved. I suppose I could ask my Uncle or cousins but I have so many questions I think I'll overwhelm them or they'll think I'm crazy! It's easy for my mind to go off on little tangents now and then. Thinking a lot family lately and what it'd be like to have everyone in the one room for a day. The thought makes me smile, we'd talk and talk and talk until the lot of us had no voices left. It would be wonderful.

Home again last week and in my own (dishwasher-less) kitchen, I craved comfort and feeling unsettled with my un-stocked pantry and fridge I assumed dinner was going to arrive in plastic boxes with wooden chopsticks. Not so comforting about that. This was until I picked up a copy of Emiko Davies new cookbook, Acquacotta that had been sent to me (thankyou thankyou thankyou). My menulog order was out on hold as I came across a recipe for a tomato based wild mushroom soup, Zuppa Di Funghi. Hmmm mushrooms - a little bit sad but yes, onion - yes, garlic - yes, canned tomatoes - yes, dried porcini - YES. DONE. The soup was so robust, comforting and full of flavour ti's going to be a regular dinner on those nights that you need something to warm you through to your toes. Emiko tells us the dried porcini mushrooms are optional but I highly recommend adding them even if it means a little online shop to get them (I get mine from here). It gives it a beautiful flavour that you can't get from other mushrooms. I used fresh button mushrooms and swiss brown mushrooms along side the dried porcini but if I had them I'd have also added other mixed mushrooms like fresh porcini and chanterelles.

Sweetbitter + a simple chanterelle omelette

Sweetbitter. First things first, this is not a cookbook, it's a novel. A novel that has had rave reviews from the media and it being based on food, wine and the restaurant industry I thought it still appropriate for here.

I went in with high expectations as I love books that have even the slightest mention of food in them plus this one is set in New York, who doesn't love New York as a setting?? So with these both playing a huge feature in the book I had a feeling I'd be instantly hooked before I even started.

The book is set out in seasons and follows the 22 year old narrator from her hometown into the big city, New York. She gets a job as a server in a renowned restaurant and the story is based about her time there, the people she works with, the customers she serves, the mentor she craves and of course the mysterious talk, dark and handsome character, who she desperately wants. There is swearing, drugs, sex, food, wine, everyones dirty little secrets and more wine.

By the hype of the book, I thought that there would be more food involved but to tell you the truth it didn't make me want to cook, it made me want to open a bottle of wine every time I picked it up.

I don't think I've mentioned it on the space yet but I've worked in restaurant kitchens before so a lot of the kitchen talk in the book brought back memories of my apprenticeship with head chefs that yelled, screamed 'pick-up', screamed 'pick-up!' even louder if no one came running, threw plates of food at walls or called you a 'blow-arse'. Now, not all my head chef's were like that and the social vibe between staff was not as gritty as this book makes it out to be but it still brought back the feeling of being at the pass and waiting for my desserts to be picked up, hoping desperately someone would come quickly so the ice cream didn't end up like soup. I will also admit when I first started reading this book, it brought back the anxiety that also came hand in hand with my kitchen gig and the feeling of being the newbie in a foreign space.

I enjoyed this book but there was something that kept me a little uneasy throughout the entire thing and I think it was my own experiences working in restaurants and being on the kitchen side of it all. All I saw was the kitchens I've worked in and the chefs that yelled. I never had a mentor, it was all for one and one for all. You had two feet to stand on and if you didn't get it right the first time the second time you had no choice but to get it right or you got your head bitten off.

Although my time sounds highly unpleasant working in a kitchen, it wasn't all like that but I do think the name of the book is very fitting and describes restaurant life in one (two) words perfectly. Sweetbitter.

One thing, I wanted more food. I wanted more mouth watering family meals and cooking for one in her tiny New York apartment but I didn't get much of that. There were two memorable food moments in it which I'll mention. One consisted of oysters, beer and the tall, dark and handsome fella and the other was a simple chanterelle omelette which had me craving mushrooms. As I can't give you a recipe for a tall, dark handsome fella who hands you freshly shucked oysters and an ice cold beer, I can share with you a recipe for a chanterelle omelette I made recently. It is a given that you are required to open a bottle of wine with this.

a simple chanterelle omelette

inspired by Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
serves 1 - recipe adapted from Savour

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 small shallot, finely diced
about 1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and torn (or any mushrooms you like)
a dollop of creme fraiche
a handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten

- In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until melted then add the garlic and diced shallot. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chanterelle mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes or until soft. Add the creme fraiche and parsley and cook until melted and oozy, season with generous amounts of salt and pepper.

- Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Wipe the frying pan out with paper towel then add the other tablespoon of butter on medium heat. Pour the beaten eggs into pan and cook for 30 seconds, lifting cooked edges with a spatula to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath.

- Spoon mushroom mixture into the centre of the still slightly runny eggs and fold closed, cook for 1 minute more. Serve with some toasty sourdough and salty butter.

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler is published by Allen and Unwin, August 2016 (RRP $27.99).

Comfort food for cold toes. Saffron risotto with silky baked eggplant and thyme mushrooms.

I came home on Thursday night from work with a brain that felt fried and an appetite for home-cooked comfort food. I watched a storm roll in from our bedroom window that turned the skies black in almost an instant, waiting in hope for the fireworks of lightening to start. I love a good storm. The blinds were swaying from the welcoming breeze and my toes were freezing. Arthur however, couldn't decide if he wanted to catch the blind cord which was knocking against the window edge or start biting my ankles for dinner. Yes my cat bites my ankles if I don't feed him quick enough, it's a serious case of hanger. Must take after his mother.

With a crisper full of veggies for more then two people can possible eat before the next weekly veggie box delivery and a brain that can't think past the saffron risotto my parents made, I knew that sitting and watching the storm was not going to get me dinner. I was thinking baked eggplant (like this), saffron risotto that I used to eat growing up (I called it yellow rice) and thyme and garlic mushrooms that always went will the yellow rice.

After I fed Arthur his nibbles to save my ankles I roughly halved and quartered a bag of button mushrooms and threw them in a lined baking tray along with a huge clove of roughly chopped garlic, some fresh thyme leaves that have been floating around the fridge for a couple of weeks but are surprisingly still green and a generous grinding of salt and pepper. I halved a medium sized eggplant and rubbed the cut side with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, chilli, lemon zest, salt and pepper and placed it cut side down on the baking tray nestled in between the mushrooms. Bunged it all in a preheated (180C) oven and forgot about it for 30 minutes while I cooked the saffron risotto.

I feel I'm in good hands when a recipe starts with cooking onion and garlic until it's soft and fragrant, I don't know what it is about the smell but it promises a good meal and gets the hunger rolling (if it hasn't already started). I can have just started cooking dinner and only have the garlic and onion cooking in a pan when Tristan walks in saying 'Yes! it's out apartment that the smell is coming from!' then proceeded to snack on whatever is edible on the chopping board as swipe his hand out of the way.

This risotto starts with finely diced onion, celery and a clove of crushed garlic sweated down in some olive oil until translucent and shiny. I then add the rice and cook for a minute or so until I hear a sizzle then pour two generous glasses of white wine, one for the pot and one for me. Once the wine cooked away I gradually added in the stock and a teaspoon of veggie stock powder (I know, don't turn your noses up. It won't taste like the one from my childhood if I leave this step out - stock cubes were the only stock I knew growing up) stirring pretty much the whole time. In a small ramekin I soaked a pinch of saffron threads in some freshly boiled water from the kettle and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes a vibrant yellow. The saffron water went into the rice, tasted, seasoned then turned the heat off. Added a couple of knobs of butter, a large handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese and let sit for about 5 minutes with the lid on so it went all oozing, buttery and delicious.

Everything came together at about the same time. The eggplant was a revelation. It had turned silky and just melted away from its skin when scooped out and it had soaked up all the flavours of the garlic, chilli, olive oil and lemon zest perfectly. The mushrooms were better baked then pan-fried like I normally do them, it was like their flavours intensified and they were more mushroomy if that makes sense. I served the scooped eggplant flesh along side the baked mushrooms and saffron risotto, a perfect meal when craving comfort food with cold toes.

To my disappointment the storm passed with not a single drop of rain over head or a flash of lightening, as quick as it came, it went.

Saffron risotto with silky baked eggplant and thyme mushrooms.

serves 3

For the mushrooms:

300g button mushrooms, halved or quartered

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

For the eggplant:

1 medium eggplant, halved lengthways

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

salt & pepper

sprinkling of lemon zest

For the risotto:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium-small onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 stick celery, finely diced

1.5 cups arborio rice
1 regular wine glass of white wine

1 litre chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon veggie stock power (or stock cube)

pinch saffron threads 

salt & pepper

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter

- Preheat your oven to 180C.

For the mushrooms:
- Toss all ingredients together and scatter into a lined baking tray large enough to fit the eggplant in as well.

For the eggplant:
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, chilli and a generous grinding of salt and pepper.

- Rub this all over the cut side of the eggplant and a sprinkling of lemon zest as well. The eggplant will soak up the olive oil which is what will make it go silky as it cooks. Place cut side down in the same baking tray you put the mushrooms and place in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, for the risotto:
- In a medium sized pot, heat olive oil over a moderate to low flame and fry the onion, garlic, celery and 1/2 teaspoons fine table salt for about 5-8 minutes, until the onions are translucent but haven't coloured.

- Meanwhile, soak you saffron threads in about 1/3 cup of freshly boiled water and set aside for about 10 minutes or until the water becomes a vibrant yellow then add it to your rice.

- Next add your rice to the onions and garlic, stirring constantly until it you hear a sizzle, about a min or two. Then pour in your wine, once that had been all soaked up add 1/2 cup of stock and stock powder, give it a good stir then let the rice soak up all the liquid before adding another 1/2 cup of stock. Keep adding the stock like this on a low simmer, stirring after each addition until all the stock has been added. If you haven't added your saffron threads and water, add them now and give it a good stir so the yellow colour goes through the whole dish.

- Taste and check the rice still has a tiny bite left in it. You don't want a soggy mess, you want the rice to hold its shape and still have a tiny dot of white in each grain when bitten in half. Season with extra salt if you think it needs it then turn the heat off and add 3/4 of you parmesan cheese and the butter. Stir it through then clamp on a lid and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

- Everything should have come together roughly about he same time. If your eggplant and mushrooms are done a little earlier then turn the oven off and let them hangout there. Scoop out the eggplant flesh and serve along side the mushrooms and saffron risotto. A sprinkle of cracked black pepper and some more parmesan cheese on top and you're ready to dig in.

Tahini Kale Slaw and Roasted Tamari Portobello Bowl from Sprouted Kitchen's Bowl & Spoon.

Over the past few years I've missed some break through recipes that have taken the internet by storm, inspirational bloggers I'm only just finding out about now and cookbooks which weren't on my radar for any good reason at all except that I was wrapped up trying to finish my apprenticeship and worrying about what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Having taken a big step back I'm finding my feet again and all these things I've missed out on. It's amazing what happens when you chill out and open your eyes to see what else is around you.

One of the blogs and cookbooks I've missed because I'd been wearing worry blinkers is the Sprouted Kitchen blog. The Sprouted Kitchen is a beautiful food blog run by Sara and Hugh Forte, she cooks and he captures. They focus on seasonal based recipes full of salads and vegetables but don't worry because there is still a healthy serving of cheese and chocolate throughout.

Earlier this year they released their second cookbook called Bowl & Spoon which is all about fresh, healthy food that is served in the convenience of a bowl. I think the bowl is extremely underrated and the possibilities are endless when you get thinking (or flicking through this amazing book). I made the Tahini Kale Slaw and Roasted Tamari Portobello Bowl for dinner a couple of weeks ago and boy oh boy was it tasty. Every mouthful was bursting with flavour and it was different than what I normally cook, I loved it.

You could serve it warm or cold. For dinner we had to warm and then for lunch the next day I had it cold and it was just as good (maybe even better...). The baked mushrooms with the drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil soaked up all the flavour and intensified when baked in the oven and the brown rice was a great staple to soak up juices and dressing but also give a nuttiness brown rice naturally has. I cheated and used bag of pre-washed baby kale for the salad instead of regular kale so I didn't have to fuss about with the stems and washing it. By all means use regular kale but I like how baby kale isn't as rough and chewy as regular can be when it's raw in a salad. And of course it's topped with avocado... you can never go wrong by adding avocado to anything.

All the elements were pretty easy to prepare and put together, the only thing was I had about 8 dirty bowls by the end of it and a whole sink full of spoons (that could have been because I keep insisting on tasting each thing) so my only flaw with the recipe if making all the elements at once is the washing up but you know what... it's so worth it! Looking forward to trying to 'Hippie Bowl' next, just have to convince Tristan that the Tofu is actually chicken or something haha.

Tahini Kale Slaw and Roasted Tamari Portobello Bowl

(Recipe adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen's Bowl and Spoon by Sara & Hugh Forte.)
Serves 2

2 large portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce (I used soy sauce)

Slaw
2 large handfuls of baby kale
1 carrot, grated
3 spring onions, white and green parts, sliced
small handful of parlsey, chopped
Tahini Citrus Miso Dressing (see recipe below)

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 large avocado
1/3 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds (see note below)

- First things first. Preheat your oven to 180C, cook your rice if you have not already done so (see this link for how) and keep warm if serving this bowl as a warm dish then make the Tahini Citrus Miso Dressing (recipe below). Now you are ready to keep going.

- Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and drizzle with sesame oil, soy sauce and a little freshly cracked pepper (remember the soy sauce is salty so no need to salt them) and place them in the oven, gill side up for about 15-20 minutes until they are soft and look like they have collapsed. Once cooked, slice into strips.

- While the mushrooms cook, combine the baby kale, grated carrot, spring onions, parsley and toss with dressing using as much as you desire. I found the dressing very full bodied so used about 3-4 tablespoons of dressing and then added a tiny drizzle over the top when serving.
(Note: If using regular kale, Sara suggests to rub the dressing into the kale to soften it.)

- To create this delicious bowl, serve each one with a healthy serving of kale slaw, a good scoop of brown rice, a sliced mushroom each, half a diced avocado and a generous sprinkling of toasted sunflower seeds. Then dig in!

This can be served warm, which is how I had it for dinner or cold which is how I had it the next day for lunch and both were just as delicious!

Note: For the roasted and salted sunflower seeds I through 1/3 cup onto a baking tray with about 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt and popped them into a 180C oven for about 5-10 minutes until the were fragrant and slightly coloured. You can toast them for longer or less, depending on your preference. Warning... if you start snacking on them, you wont be able to stop.

Tahini Citrus Miso Dressing

Makes a whole heap but keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks

1/2 cup tahini
2 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons Sriracha or hot sauce (I used sambal olek)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
juice of one large orange (about 1/2 cup)
sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
juice of one lemon, to taste

- In a mixing bowl whisk tahini, miso paste, honey, sesame oil and hot sauce to combine. Make sure all the lumps are out so you don't get a chunk of any one ingredient.

- Next whisk in the vinegar, orange juice and the salt and pepper to taste. Add the lemon juice to taste next, one tablespoon at a time (I used the whole lemon but I like dressing on the tangy side) or use a little water to thin the dressing down. Taste and add any extra salt and pepper you might think it needs and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Eggplant and Porcini meatless 'meatballs' with tomato sauce.

The recipe I made last Tuesday is probably the evil twin sister of the previous recipe I posted. Lets just say there is more to it than throw it all together and bung it in the oven. This one is a labor of love.

Sometimes I really enjoy pottering around in the kitchen. Stirring a sauce here, doing a little frying there, while something is cooking away in the oven. It's like when you cook risotto, there is always pottering around the kitchen. A little stirring then another ladleful of stock and maybe roasting some vine tomatoes or making a pesto to stir through.

It's a labor of love.

Now it's not to say I haven't had some disasters over the years when I think it's all going to plan but end up eating at 10:30 (one time 11...eeekk) at night and being so sweaty and past hungry I feel like a train wreck. Not to mention the kitchen looks even more like a train wreck than I do. I have found the trick is not to get flustered. Yeh yeh easier said than done but if I keep my cool and just potter it's usually quite satisfying, a tastier dinner and I don't end up feeling like a train wreck at the end.

These Eggplant and Porcini meatless 'meatballs' with tomato sauce were such a success and an absolutely delicious one at that! They are definitely a labor of love and not a quick mid week meal but in saying that if you get home from work earlier then I do why not spoil yourself during the week and put in a little extra effort?

I got the recipe from blogger Amelia Morris from Bon Appetempt who found it in a magazine called Food and Wine. It's actually the first post I read from her blog. The link was part of The Wednesday Chef's Saturday links post back in October last year and I've been a huge fan ever since (I even went back and read most of her old blog posts...). If your a regular reader you've probably heard of me going on about her blog and her cooking show on youtube so I'll stop my ramble and just link everything here (you really should check her out!).

This dinner was actually incredible. I am still thinking about them a week later and not only did I thoroughly enjoy myself pottering around the kitchen and rolling garlicky eggplant balls but the taste was incredible. You get the robust flavours from the dried porcini mushrooms and garlic that work so well with the silky eggplant. Oh and the tomato sauce uses the porcini soaking water in it which turns it into a turbo tomato sauce that is packed with flavour. I loved this recipe and will be making it again for sure! I served it with crusty bread but it would work perfect with pasta too or even polenta.

The eggplant and porcini balls are just as delicious without the tomato sauce (I snacked on a couple while cooking them) and they would be a great appetiser or cold the next day on a sandwich is good too :)

Show a little labor of love this week or weekend and cook these for dinner... it's well worth it!

Eggplant and porcini meatless 'meatballs' with tomato sauce.

Serves 4
(Recipe from Food & Wine and Bon Appetempt)
Please note I have converted the recipe into metric measurements so they vary slightly from the original.

1 large eggplant or 2 smaller ones (about 560g)
28g dried porcini mushrooms (I used 20g) **
boiling water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
4  cloves garlic, finely grated
2x 800g cans of whole italian tomatoes, seeded and pureed with their juices (I used 2 bottles of passata)
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
salt
freshly ground pepper
3 cups of fresh bread crumbs (from 170g crustless country bread)
2 large eggs, beaten
60g pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving (I used parmesan)
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
plain flour, for coating
vegetable oil, for frying
crusty bread, for serving

- Preheat your oven to 350F or 180C.

- Prick your eggplant(s) all over with a fork and place on a baking tray. Roast in the centre of the oven for 1 hour, until very soft and collapsed. Let the eggplant cool slightly, then scrape the eggplant flesh into a bowl and let cool completely. Discard the skin (I was impatient so I stuck my hot eggplant flesh in the freezer for 15 min to cool down).

- Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, cover the porcini with 1.5 cups of boiling water and let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain but reserve the soaking liquid. Rinse the porcini to remove any grit and extra dirt then finely chop the porcini.

- In a large casserole pot heat olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and half the garlic and cook on medium heat, stirring, until softened for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree (or passata) and pour in the porcini soak liquid but stopping before reaching the grit at the bottom of the bowl. Bring it to a boil and then simmer on low heat until thickened, about 1 hour. Add half the chopped basil and season with salt and pepper.

- In a medium sized bowl mix together the chopped porcini, bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, parsley, remaining garlic, eggplant flesh with 1 teaspoon of course salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.

- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Form the eggplant mixture into 20 balls (about 1 3/4 inches), rolling tightly. Dust the balls with plain flour and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

- In a non stick frying pan heat 1 cm deep of vegetable oil. Add half of the eggplant balls at a time and cook over medium to high heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Add the eggplant balls to the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with extra grated cheese and crusty bread.

** I got the dried porcini mushrooms from Essential Ingredient online.