Islim Kebab | Eggplant-Wrapped Baked Meatballs

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the eggplants lengthwise in alternating strips; the bands of skin left on each strip help keep it from splitting when wrapped. Slice lengthwise into 5 mm-thick strips; 4 eggplants yield 12 sturdy strips. Set aside the thin, narrow end pieces for the sauce. Layer the slices in a colander, sprinkling 15 g salt between the layers, and let them sit for 20 minutes. The salt draws out moisture, making the slices bend instead of break.

Rinse the slices under cold water and pat both sides dry with paper towels. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, brush with half the olive oil, and bake at 200°C / 390°F for 15 minutes. A strip is ready when it droops under its own weight as you lift one end. Slices with browned, crisp edges will crack when wrapped; set those aside for the sauce.

Grate the onion and squeeze out its liquid with your hands; excess liquid in the mixture can make the meatballs fall apart in the oven. Combine the ground beef, onion, breadcrumbs, 6 g salt, black pepper, cumin, and parsley in a large bowl. Knead for 5 minutes, pressing and folding with the heel of your hand. When the meat becomes sticky and lifts from your palm in one piece, the protein network has formed and no egg is needed. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then shape into 12 oval meatballs weighing 50 g each.

Lay two strips across each other on the counter to form a cross. Place a meatball at the intersection and fold all four ends over the top. Secure the overlap with a toothpick and place the bundle on the baking sheet with the toothpick pointing up. Arrange the bundles so they touch; gaps can let the sauce evaporate and dry out on the bottom of the pan.

Combine the grated tomatoes, crushed garlic, tomato paste, 3 g salt, and 250 ml hot water in a small saucepan; chop the reserved thin eggplant pieces and add them too. Boil over medium heat for 5 minutes to cook off the raw taste of the tomato paste during those 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into the bottom of the baking pan between the bundles, rather than over them; pouring it on top would rewet the dry surface the eggplant developed in the oven.

Top each bundle with a cherry tomato and a piece of green pepper, then drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 200°C / 390°F for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes to brown the tops. A thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 72°C / 160°F; ground meat is considered safe at this internal temperature, and no pink should remain in the center.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes. This allows the juices collected in the center of the meatballs to redistribute, so the bundles will stay closed when you remove the toothpicks. Remove the toothpicks individually before transferring the bundles to serving plates, then spoon a pair of spoonfuls of sauce from the pan onto each plate.