Frittelle di Melanzane e Mentuccia Selveggia di Lampedusa

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
• 3 pounds very ripe tomatoes (which have never been refrigerated), peeled, seeded, and finely chopped, all juices saved
• 2 cups red wine
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Fine sea salt
• 1 cup torn fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• 3 pounds smooth, tight-skinned purple eggplants
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups freshly made coarse bread crumbs
• 2 cups just-grated pecorino
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dark raisins, plumped in warm water
• 1 cup torn fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• 3 or 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Flour

1. Over a medium flame, heat the oil in a large saucepan and soften the garlic and onion without coloring them.
2. Add the tomatoes, their juices, the red wine, generous grindings of pepper and sea salt.
3. Bring to a quiet simmer, lower the flame, and permit it to cook and reduce for 1/2 hour or until the tomatoes have reduced to a jam and the wine has all but evaporated.
4. Off the flame, add the just-torn herbs, stirring them into the thick sauce Cover the pot and permit the sauce at least 1 hours rest.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
6. Slice the eggplants in two lengthwise, brush the cut surfaces with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and roast them until the flesh is very soft.
7. Remove the eggplants from the oven and cool them slightly.
8. Scrape the flesh of the eggplants into a bowl.
9. In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the eggplant flesh, one-third to one-half at a time, smoothing it into a thick paste.
10. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil through the feed tube in driblets, emulsifying, enriching the paste.
11. Turn out the paste into a large bowl and add to it the bread crumbs, cheese, generous grindings of pepper, salt, cinnamon, raisins, mint, and basil.
12. Add 3 of the beaten eggs and blend the elements well, using your hands or a large wooden spoon.
13. The resultant paste should be light.
14. Lacking that airy texture, add the remaining egg and blend again very thoroughly.
15. Saute a bit of the paste, tasting for salt and correcting if necessary.
16. Form the paste into 3-inch ovals of about 1 inch in thickness.
17. Dust them lightly with flour.
18. Over a lively flame, heat the remaining 3/4 cup of oil in a large saute pan and in it cook the little cakes, a few at a time, permitting them to form a bit of a crust before turning them and browning the other side.
19. As they are cooked, remove the frittelle to absorbent paper towels.
20. Add a few drops more of oil if the cakes begin to stick.
21. Proceed with the remaining cakes.
22. Alternatively, the fritters can be quickly deep-fried in abundant oil.
23. Present the fritters immediately on a plate spread with the reheated or room-temperature sauce, offering more sauce at table.
24. You might begin with olive nere e verdi con aglio intero al forno (page 191).
25. When gorgeous tomatoes are not to be found, the fritters are also quite wonderful with a only a tiny spoonful of a lemony vinaigrette.

extravirgin olive oil, garlic, yellow onion, very ripe tomatoes, red wine, freshly cracked pepper, salt, mint leaves, torn basil, smooth, extravirgin olive oil, bread crumbs, pecorino, freshly cracked pepper, salt, ground cinnamon, dark raisins, mint leaves, basil, eggs, flour

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/frittelle-di-melanzane-e-mentuccia-selveggia-di-lampedusa-391219 (may not work)