Eggplant Rollatini

This is another great recipe for making the most of summer vegetables. I lighten this dish by grilling my eggplant slices instead of dusting them in flour and frying them in oil. Which incidentally makes it a good choice for my low carb, gluten free, Keto conscious friends.

I love preparing meals like this and stashing them away in the freezer to be eaten sometime in the future. Cooking seasonal food ahead and storing it in my freezer is another useful technique I learned from my talented mom. She has passed on so many practical tips and tricks for cooking that I use everyday. It's nice to know that on some cold, wintery night when I'm at a loss for what to make for dinner, a warm, comforting meal is waiting for me, requiring no more effort than turning on the oven. Thanks mom!

So head out to your vegetable garden, nearest farmer's market or even your local supermarket, gather up some of this summer's colorful bounty and start cooking. Someday soon you'll be delighted to enjoy an easy delicious meal with a side of summer memories.

My mom. Never one to sit idle, has always been a woman ready for adventure.

This week's CSA brought some rather narrow eggplant for this particular dish.
But with a little patience I made it work.

I find salting the eggplant slices for at least 30 minutes before cooking really
to helps reduce bitterness.

A simple tomato sauce, also passed on from mom, is a handy recipe to have in your repertoire.

Sprinkling garlic cloves with salt helps them to stay put while mincing.

Eggplant Rollatini

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs eggplant (2-3 large)

32 ounces ricotta cheese

2 eggs

3/4c mozzarella, shredded (plus additional for topping)

1/2 parmesan cheese, grated (plus additional for topping)

a handful of basil, roughly chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper 

For the sauce:

2 cloves garlic minced

1 small onion, chopped 

1 32 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 tbsp Italian seasoning 

salt and pepper

olive oil

Directions:

1. Trim the ends off the eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices and lay on a rack over a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with salt, cover with paper towels and let rest for at least 20-30 minutes.

2. While your eggplant is resting, make your sauce: Place 3 tbsp of olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Brown the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the tomato paste. Fill the can with warm water, swish it around a bit to be sure and get any paste left in the can and add it to the pot. Stir into the onion mixture and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Filling each of these cans about halfway with water and adding it to the pot. Stir. Add the Italian seasoning, about 1 tsp of salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Then, lower the flame and simmer for 30-40 minutes. I find a splatter screen comes in very handy here. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

3. Prepare the eggplant: Heat a stovetop grill pan or light your outside grill. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with olive and grill just until softened and lightly browned. 

This usually takes only a few minutes on each side.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

4. In a mixing bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella, grated cheese and eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the basil.

5. Ladle enough sauce to coat the bottom of a 13"x9" baking pan. I like to use my vintage  PYREX pan. But if I'm planning to freeze the eggplant, I'll use several small foil baking pans with lids.*

6. Place about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on the end of each eggplant slice and roll up. Place the roll seam side down in the pan. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.

7. Top the rolls with with a generous ladle of sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and top with a little more grated cheese.

8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve with additional sauce if desired. 

*If freezing: Eggplant can be prepared up until step 5. Seal the pans, wrap in additional foil, label and date each pan and freeze. Unwrap before baking. Plan on additional cooking time if baking the eggplant frozen. This dish is best eaten within 6 months of freezing.