River Day’s stream of visitors
Every year on a Sunday in May, South Orange residents wade enthusiastically into the Rahway River to pull out litter during River Day, a community event organized by the South Orange Environmental Commission and Green Team. On May 18, Meat Me In The Middle was proud to be one of the local sustainability-focused organizations that engaged with 2025 River Day participants.
Our message about minimizing meat for environmental benefits was new to some visitors to our table, but others—young and old alike—declared themselves longtime vegetarians or flexitarians. We drew people to our table with volunteer-made vegetarian “meat”balls, which were a hit—there were no leftovers when River Day came to an end! By popular request, the recipe is below.
Meat Me In The Middle thanks the South Orange Environmental Team for its ongoing support and for featuring our project on River Day.
Eggplant Polpette Calabrese
Adapted from “La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy,” by Accademia Italiana della Cucina
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. eggplant (~ one large or two small/medium)
- 2 cups fresh, or freshly toasted, white bread crumbs (chop ~2-3 slices of bread very finely by hand, or use a food processor)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 2/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Peel the eggplant. Weigh it whole and cut little bits off until it weighs roughly 24 oz. Cut the resultant eggplant in half lengthwise.
Place the eggplant halves in a pot, cover with water (the eggplant will float), and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot and cook the eggplant over moderate heat for ~25-45 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft. Drain the water and let the eggplant cool.
Meanwhile, peel and crush 2 cloves garlic, and saute them in a little olive oil until they start to color. Chop the parsley and basil. Put these into a large bowl. Then add the breadcrumbs, pecorino romano, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mash the eggplant and drain any excess moisture by placing it in a dish towel and squeezing out the liquids. Work the eggplant into the mixture along with 2 eggs. Knead well until the mixture is homogenous.
Shape into 1.5-inch balls and lightly pan fry in olive oil until the sides are golden. Alternatively, bake in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes on a lightly oiled baking sheet, turning once or twice.
Serve with tomato sauce if desired.