Tagliatelle all'aglio e olio con polpette di carne, gamberi allo Zenzero e purea di melanzane

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 eggplant(s)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 8 stalks of parsley, flat
• 60 g almond butter
• salt and pepper
• Saffron threads (approx. 10 to 15)
• 30 g stale bread (e.g. ciabatta)
• 30 g dried tomatoes
• 30 g shallot(s)
• 6 tbsp sunflower oil
• 150 g minced beef
• 100 g minced pork
• 1 tbsp mustard, medium hot or horseradish or creamed horseradish
• 20 g ricotta
• 1 m.-sized egg(s)
• 4 frozen prawns (approx. 50 g each, with shell, without head)
• 30 g ginger
• 2 red chili peppers
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 320 g tagliatelle
• 20 g butter
• some basil leaves
• some Italian cheese (e.g. Fiore Sardo or Provolone), freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes

complex, takes time

Rinse and clean the eggplant, and lightly pierce it eight times with a knife. Peel and quarter 2 garlic cloves and insert them into the eggplant holes. Wrap the eggplant in aluminum foil and cook in a preheated oven on the second rack from the bottom at 180°C for about 50 to 60 minutes until soft. Pluck the leaves from 8 parsley stalks and finely chop them. Remove the eggplant from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Halve the eggplant and scrape out the eggplant flesh and garlic quarters with a spoon. Finely puree with the almond butter and half of the chopped parsley using a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Soak the saffron threads in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Soak the bread in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Peel and finely dice the shallots. Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a pan and sauté the diced shallots for about 2 minutes until translucent. Then add the remaining chopped parsley and let it cool completely. Squeeze the bread well and mix it in a bowl with the shallot and parsley mixture, the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, the saffron, the minced beef and pork, as well as the mustard, ricotta, and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 8 medium-sized balls and refrigerate until ready to use. Remove the prawns from their shells, make a slit along their backs, and remove the intestines. Peel and finely chop the ginger, and mix with the prawns. Heat the remaining sunflower oil in a pan and fry the meatballs on all sides over a moderate heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Peel and finely slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Rinse and trim the chilies, and cut them into thin rings. Heat about 6 to 7 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, non-stick pan and sauté the garlic slices and chili rings over low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then set aside. Slowly heat the eggplant puree in a saucepan. Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water until al dente. Drain into a sieve, reserving about 200 to 250 ml of the pasta cooking water. Pick the leaves from the remaining parsley stalks and finely chop them. Melt the butter in another pan and fry the prawns with the finely chopped ginger over medium heat for about 3 minutes until browned on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Then transfer the prawns and ginger to a plate and keep warm in the oven at 70 degrees Celsius. Heat the tagliatelle with the pasta cooking water (adding the pasta cooking water little by little) and about 2 to 3 tablespoons of eggplant purée in a pan with the garlic-chili oil and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve the tagliatelle immediately with the meatballs, ginger prawns, and eggplant purée. Garnish with a few basil leaves, if desired, and sprinkle with some freshly grated Italian cheese, or serve on the side. Serve with fresh ciabatta and a colorful tomato salad.