Italian Eggplant Patties (Polpettti De Melanzane) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 baby eggplants, skin-on and diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cracked garlic cloves, plus
2 finely chopped cloves
1 teaspoon dried hot red chili pepper, diced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons pecorino romano cheese
1 1/4 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or 1 1/2 cups light olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

Place the diced eggplant and (must leave skin on or will not come out right) in a small deep bowl. Season with salt and compress with heavy object. Let it stand for approximately 1 hour. Squeeze out excess juice and set aside.
In a small frying pan, begin to heat 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 cracked garlic cloves, hot pepper, eggplant for approximately 3 minutes until garlic brown and crisp. Discard the garlic.
In a bowl, beat eggs, add grated cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, chopped fresh basil, and parsley. Add the eggplant, , 2 garlic finely chopped cloves, and bread crumbs, and mix thoroughly.
Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan or skillet. Wet your hands and begin to scoop 1/2 cup of mix to make patties. Start to fry when oil is very hot. Cook for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on tray lined with paper towels to cool and absorb excess oil. Serve immediately.