Chickpeas and Aubergine Meatballs

Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Ingredients:

250g di Chickpeas (requires 12 hours of soaking), 1 Aubergine, 1 Carrot, 1 Clove of garlic, Basil, Salt, Pepper as needed, Extra virgin olive oil.

Instructions and procedure:

Firstly, soak the chickpeas for 12 hours. Wash the aubergine and cut it into pieces, then peel the carrot and cut this into cubes too. In a non-stick pan, heat with extra virgin olive oil and cook the peeled and halved garlic clove. After a few minutes, add the chopped vegetables and cook until they become soft. In a bowl, pour the boiled chickpeas, the cooked vegetables, basil, salt and pepper and drop garlic. With an immersion blender, blend until you obtain a cream that is not necessarily homogeneous. Add some breadcrumbs if the dough turns out to be too moist and ensure to mix all the ingredients properly. Correct salt if necessary. With wet hands, form small pieces the size of a walnut and cook them in a pan with plenty of extra virgin olive oil: you can fry them or pass them lightly in oil in a pan or you can cook the meatballs even in a preheated oven at 200 °C for approx. 10 minutes.