Eggplant Balls (Polpette di Melanzane) - Lunch with Gianni

[@mrtspence]

Another wonderful video. Gianni is the Italian neighbour we all wish we had!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie. Just spreading the love and some damn good food too. I'm lucky I live in a neighborhood where I have many Italian and first generation neighbors. Love them all. --Gianni

[@CTguy203]

Good to see you back on the channel.

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie. It's fun and I'm eating well. --Gianni

[@sideshowtink]

Thank you for the tip on male & femaie eggplants! That's great to know! Those look great!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

It does make a difference, many fewer seeds and as with the one I cooked for this episode, none at all. Sometimes if I take a chance with a female eggplant and it's full of dark, bitter seeds I don't use it because I know I won't make a good dish. Sex your eggplants! --Gianni

[@Rita123xyz]

Loving your antipasto. All of my favs including the tarali. Going to try these eggplant balls!

[@roykemp6502]

We do love hanging out with you and your kitchen skills, so much fun!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie Roy. Pay back for me is interacting with folks who send me comments afterwards. I learn a lot and always have fun with the engagement. --Gianni

[@paulettefallon1796]

Love the stories, love the home feel. Gianni, you are amazing.

[@ysb362]

Love your videos!! Stay safe and healthy and keep making videos. 🤗

[@nunzioguadagni3445]

Giovanni everyone in my comes from Naples and me in Brooklyn New York and you bring back memories when you cook

[@jackiejanetm]

This looks wonderful. I'm going to give this a try! Thanks!

[@matthewsnyder674]

Loving the longer run times on these new cooking vids, Gianni! Perfect pace for a laid-back, weekend cooking day. 👍🏼

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Matthew. Thanks for the feedback. I've been running about 40 minutes for the Lunch with Gianni episodes. The "laid-back weekend cooking day" that you describe is what I hope sets the stage for a fun & flavorful romp in the kitchen. Keep on cooking! --Gianni

[@Angelina_Rose]

Gonna try them, what a delicious lunch!

[@davidkelly9833]

Great meal, felt like I was right there, helping! Enjoy!

[@joanneborelli7586]

Can’t wait to make these!!!!! I’ve got the wooly for these eggplant balls🇮🇹🌹🇮🇹 We Love Your Videos‼️‼️‼️🌹

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Joanne. Hope you enjoy them. Let me know. --Gianni

[@JulieIelasi-lt7yp]

Love your cooking shows love from Adelaide south Australia

[@JHeyworth1]

Thanks! Great recipe

[@mythicmesa]

Thrilled you're back Gianni!

[@carminemaresco9788]

Def making these very soon. Love hanging out and watching you prepare these delicious meals.

[@mjjsnell]

Such an instructive video! I've been trying to convince the wife of my youth that eggplant is delicious for decades. Now I know how to select a male eggplant that is likely to have many fewer seeds and be much sweeter! Thanks, Gianni!

[@njsmoker83]

Used this recipe on Easter and everyone loved them. Thanks for the great recipe

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Piacere. My pleasure. Are you from Jersey? Keep on cooking! --Gianni

[@njsmoker83]

@@GianniNorthBeachTV yes. Im from bloomfield by the clifton border by the old brookdale soda. Family originally from 7th Street Newark and other side of family by school stadium in newark

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao. My neck of the woods growing up on N.15th St in Bloomfield around the corner from Columbus Hospital. We got Brookdale Soda weekly deliveries. --Gianni

[@normenderle550]

Thanks for sharing your recipe and tips you are appreciated!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie Norm. I'm having fun and eating good.

[@Nahtang]

Looks great, making these tomorrow! Grazie mille da Londra!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Piacere, da North Beach. Let me know how your Aubergine Balls turn out. --Gianni

[@AnimalThug1984]

Gianni!!! Omg it's been so long my friend. Glad to see you making videos again! We all miss you, wishing you great health, and happiness! I hope all is well!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao James. All is well here and I hope the same is true for you and yours. Grazie. --Gianni

[@ua787]

Gianni on the spot, wow! This eggplant I’m going to make. I made one of your recipes with eggplant but I kinda like the meatball version. I laughed and remembered eating sandwiches made of prosciutto,, sopressata, mortadella and provolone man was I thirsty after eating that. love watching you, you are a Godsend!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie. Yeah salumi (cured meats) can be salty. I eat them in moderation. I try to minimize salt intake but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Grazie. --Gianni

[@meTWO2323]

I get so hungry watching you cook. We will try making these this week!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao. Let me know how they turn out. --Gianni

[@YourFriendKaren]

I just bought 2 eggplant to fry it. But This looks like a Great Alternative. Thank You

[@paulreedy9415]

Wow, I see Monday lunch coming up-- I'll use that very candy thermometer to get the temp correct, I agree on leaving the skin on the melanzane. Mouth-watering! Thanks, Gianni!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Paul. Let me know how the Balls turn out. --Gianni

[@certifiedweldor]

thanks for the recipe, i like eggplant

[@HerAeolianHarp]

Good recipes and tips. I never knew about male or female eggplant. Grazie mille. Ciao, North Beach.

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Sexing eggplant makes a big difference. I always search for a male. --Gianni

[@tawpgk]

Thank you for the interesting recipe. I think might try roasting the melanzane to get a bit more flavor or try a microwave technique I saw on ATK. With pasta alla Norma they placed the melanzane cubes on a plate covered with coffee filters to absorb the moisture. Haven't tried it yet but it looked to work well before they sauteed them. -Tom

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Tom. Thanks for your comment. There are many ways to cook the eggplant. If I were to adapt one for my recipe it would be one, as you suggest, that enhances flavor. My New Jersey friend lightly coats the small cubes with olive oil and adds a couple of garlic cloves, spreads them on a sheet pan and bakes them in the oven. The roasted eggplant & garlic are then pulsed in a food processor. Or simply roast the whole eggplant in the oven and when cool scoop out the interior. Or sauté the cubed eggplant in olive oil with onions or garlic or both. But on balance, I choose the quickest cooking method that yields a creamy sweet eggplant interior enhanced by pecorino and garlic. If you use an alternative method please let me know how it turned out. Keep on cooking! --Gianni

[@mumssimplerecipes4245]

Amazingly delicious!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie. I'm pleased you like my simple recipe. Looks like it's right up your alley. --Gianni

[@bighouse6120]

Good one Gianni. I think I'll call them Italian hush puppies. YUM

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Mark. Renaming them is the first step to making the recipe your own. Keep on cooking. --Gianni

[@paulettefallon1796]

Gianni...love your style.. From Philly, with love

[@Romanog80]

You know I have been watching you for a while and had no idea you are from around my way. I grew up in Lodi/Garfield

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Gianni. Yup, this Gianni grew up in Bloomfield on the Newark border. It's in my blood. I love Garfield. Visit often when I'm staying with my niece's family in Saddle Brook. --Gianni

[@philipragona5584]

I love to watch you cool Gianni! You are a treasure.

[@philipragona5584]

"Cook". No "cool". Though you are very cool!

[@jcarlovitch]

I stopped using the cheese in a can and only buy high quality cheese at the Italian market 10 years ago when Gianni threatened to kill me in his Sunday gravy video.

[@lucilledion5344]

Ok, eggplant on my shopping list this week, then I start cooking this dish !!! Grazie Gianni ( hope this is right )

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Your Thanks Gianni is perfect.

[@lucilledion5344]

Have a good day Gianni !!!

[@carina-leahbertuccelli9496]

Gianni... As my grandfather from North Beach would say... ( to a man not a woman) "Hey... Get the Hell out of here, you screwball". 😂( this is the truth! )(When he was angry) I miss him. 😔 I miss him and my Grandmother . 😇 Thank you for being a part of my family and my family's memories! 💞

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao. I heard it often growing up. Some times it was to express disbelief, sometimes anger. It's a phrase that certainly stuck with me. I use it often. Grazie. --Gianni

[@carina-leahbertuccelli9496]

We love the way you speak. Again, YOU remind us of Love one's... Family.💞@@GianniNorthBeachTV

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie. Me too! --Gianni

[@phylliskinder4168]

sounds like a good appetizer too

[@mrmudcatslim1004]

I subbed a while back and stayed subbed. I would check back from time to time, but never saw an update. I was pleased to see you back. I have enjoyed all your updates and look forward to many more. Have a nice weekend Chef.

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie. Yeah we were dark for 3 1/2 years. I'm happy being back in the kitchen even if my producers can't shoot the video during the lock-down. It's just me cooking and shooting the video. I'm having fun. --Gianni

[@shibishibe2125]

OMG eggplant is my favorite food! That is very simple but very gorgeous dish. What kind of wine goes with this dish?

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao. For me it would be a red from southern Italia: Taurasi or Aglianico from Campania or a Primitivo from Puglia or Sicilia. Salute! --Gianni

[@Mzoomtwo]

Ciao Gianni ! grate to catch you live 👋

[@mr65plexi]

The King of North Beach!

[@Mzoomtwo]

i am gone make them

[@jimmyriter8638]

Ciao Gianni! What years were you in Bloomfield HS?!? Lots of friends who were there in the 50s.

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Jimmy. I graduated in 1965. My older sister & brother were there in the 50s.

[@mr65plexi]

Nice Gianni!

[@anthonyg4690]

Another great job! I’m watching this late and it’s making me hungry for late night snack! What type of provolone was that? I love provolone! Also, what market sells the breadsticks 🥖? Giovanni?

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie Anthony. I love my favorite Auricchio picante (sharp) provolone that I bought at Molinari's on Columbus. I don't use it in cooking but that's about to change. The extra virgin olive oil is last November's press of the versatile Sicilian Partanna that I bought at Palermo Deli on Vallejo. I got the Terre di Puglia Taralli Lunghi at Searchlight Market at Union/Hyde. Support local markets! --Gianni

[@anthonyg4690]

Thank you for info! I love supporting local businesses!! And I’m already a big fan of Molinari’s. It would be great if you mention these places so we can all buy the good stuff you get lol Thanks again for the reply and these awesome videos. They have become a great bonding session for me and my son as we make the recipes together then eat!!!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Anthony. I agree and I'm adding more about the ingredients I use and where to get them in North Beach or online for those who aren't fellow villagers. A while ago the guys at Little City told me a man and his son came in asking about me. They said they were visiting places in my videos and were heading up to the Filbert St. steps. Was that you? --Gianni

[@anthonyg4690]

Absolutely! I was telling Mike in Little City about how my son and I were following your videos but we weren’t sure you were still around! This was before your joyful return recently!! The last time we were in there Mike said we missed you by 5 min! My son would have been thrilled to say hello!

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Anthony. We'll have to coordinate our Little City shopping. I'm there a few times a week. I'll go down tomorrow about 11. I need to get some chicken. I'm shooting a video making chicken cutlets Friday that we'll publish Sunday as the next episode in the Lunch with Gianni series. A presto. --Gianni

[@СпасЯнков-э2ч]

You are Calabrian descent or Napoletan didnt knew more Calabrian recipes would be nice and Campanian ones

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

My family roots are in Naples and Mirabella Eclano about 45 KM inland.

[@anna-mariaciccone3186]

Welcome back

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie Anna-Maria. I'm happy to be back in the kitchen. --Gianni

[@Mzoomtwo]

i grew up in that area

[@mrmac123]

I miss you Gianni! Any new recipes?

[@roncaruso931]

Have not seen you make a YT video in a long time. Does anyone know what happened to him?

[@JulieIelasi-lt7yp]

My Dad's from Calabria Nino

[@Mzoomtwo]

now i am in Texas

[@JulieIelasi-lt7yp]

Skin left is is much better I agree with you more fibre too in the skin .

[@SailfishSoundSystem]

Do you know Caldwell?

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Sure do. I grew up just down the road in Bloomfield. I hosted a family lunch at Calandra's in Caldwell a couple of years ago. --Gianni

[@jakewis7867]

Dimostrate il vero cibo italo-americano da una costa all'altro

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Grazie Jake. He said "demonstrates true Italian-American food from coast to coast." It took me a while to fully embrace immigrant cooking in America as a distinct food culture. Many saw it as inferior derivative of authentic cooking in Italia. Not so. I still cook the food that my ancestors from Campania made from the time they arrived in the early 1900s. In fact 3 generations of my family do. But when in Italia I am often compelled to seek out the dishes that formed the basis of my family's kitchen to better understand it's evolution here in America. Inferiority? No, just a better understanding of both that I bring with me any time I step into my kitchen. A presto. --Gianni

[@Al-po2oh]

Wondering how you are doing? Miss your channel

[@lucilledion5344]

How are you ? I haven't seen new videos for some time ...

[@GianniNorthBeachTV]

Ciao Lucille. Just taking a break. Post-vaccination I'm back to enjoying time with friends again. We're sharing some fantastic meals at our favorite North Beach restaurants so I'm not cooking as much as during the lock-down. When I get inspired I'll be back cooking in my kitchen. Grazie. --Giann

[@lucilledion5344]

Thank you for your reply and I'm happy all is well...stay well, Ciao...Lucille

[@terrresa1]

How is Gianni doing nowadays??

[@Mzoomtwo]

Ciao

[@letsgomets002]

Need more salt...and roast the eggplant not boil it !!

[@Mzoomtwo]

🤩🤣🤣🤣

[@quick8009]

I've been sexting eggplants, but they reply... Ohhhh....