Eggplant with Meatballs (Borani Bademjan)

Preparation

1. Peel and crush garlic clove. Chop green pepper and finely dice onion. Peel eggplant, slice lengthwise and cut into pieces.
2. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil and sauté crushed garlic and green pepper. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same oil, sauté eggplant on both sides until browned. Remove and set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix ground beef with onion and spices. Make 30 small meatballs.
5. Brown meatballs (without using oil) at low temperature in the nonstick skillet.
6. Add sautéed eggplant, garlic, bell pepper, crushed stewed tomatoes and water to meatballs. Let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.