For me it represents the moment of the aperitif.
Walking through Venice, to keep company with a shadow of wine, nothing better than a nice meatball.
Perfect to seal the perfection of this moment of the day, when the city turns red, the lagoon darkens and the streets are filled with bivouacs.
Of course, for some time now you can find a vegetarian meatball as well, with aubergines or courgettes most of the time (and even in January ...), but no vegan.
Well no. Not that one!
This is how my dream begins: that the city explodes with creativity, devote itself to experimentation and on the counters you can finally find many variations of this wonderful sphere.

Today I propose you: millet and potato meatballs baked with basil and pumpkin seeds, accompanied by a sweet and sour aubergine sauce, figs and purple lettuce leaves.

To make the meatballs

Mash the potatoes with a fork, mix them with the millet and breadcrumbs (if they are still hot, it will be easier to make meatballs then). Add the minced garlic, the basil (chiffonade), the pumpkin seeds. Salt and pepper. Form the meatballs. Arrange them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and oiled. Bake at 200 ° C for 20 '(or depending on the oven you have, until they are golden).

For the eggplant sauce

Wash and cut the aubergines and onion into uniform cubes. Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Add the vegetables and season the vegetables with 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake at 180 ° C for about half an hour.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the vegetables to a glass. Blend with an immersion blender and add the balsamic vinegar.

Serve the meatballs with the eggplant sauce, some sliced ​​black figs and some purple lettuce. The dish can be a very tasty aperitif, or a single dish, just add a legume pate (chickpea hummus, cannellini bean hummus, or whatever you like).