eggplant rollatini

I've been waiting very patiently to make this dish.  I first had it sometime in the 90's all deep-fried & yummy...  I've made a bit of a lightened version of it....

I used Asian eggplant..  You can skip the whole 'salt to remove bitterness' step if you do :)

Start by slicing the eggplant about 1/4 in ch thick the long way

I saved the 'end pieces' ( the part that was all skin) for another dish.  Drizzle the eggplant slices with some olive oil & salt & pepper. The eggplant will act like a sponge    so don't be afraid to add more oil if needed.. 

♥♥♥♥(it's heart healthy)♥♥♥♥

Preheat a grill pan or grill

When grill is good & hot, place the eggplant at an angle on the grill.

let it develop grill marks for a minute then ( don't flip) using tongs Gently move so that the eggplant is angled the opposite way.

( I lost some of the pictures that I took of this somehow , I will try to describe the best that I can..)

*the top eggplant is the first angel that I used, then I turned it so that it is facing the direction that the bottom 2 are.

When you then flip it ( as I have, you will have these very pretty grill marks) *


When all of the eggplant are grilled, set them up like little soldiers to get ready to be filled.. (prettiest side down.. that will end up being the top)

ugh.. the other lost photos were of the filling.

I invite you to use your imagination...

I had about a cup of part-skim ricotta
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper
crushed garlic cloves (crush with the side of a knife..)  this insures that garlic flavor will be throughout the filling without anyone biting straight into a chunk of garlic..

Then, start assembling

Lay some fresh basil leaves a top of your eggplant

then top with sun-dried tomatoes.. ( I used a different brand than I normally do.. they are as pretty and red as I'm used to, but they still tasted good )

next, the imaginary cheese filling

roll each eggplant up & place in a baking dish lined with some Marinara Sauce

top with more sauce & shred some parmesan cheese on top

bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes  then top with a drizzle of olive oil & a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

YUM!'

I served this with a simple tomato& cumber salad..

I used the same idea as Caprese Towers

I just layered an heirloom tomato with a lemon boy cucumber

I grew these just for fun this year....  You can used whatever cuke you like, just peel it first ;)

top with some shredded basil, a diced red onion, salt, Pepper, EVOO & balsamic vinegar...

enjoy!


on another note... is there something that you would like to have a recipe for?  Something that you would like to see me make? I do have a lot of ideas on my own but  I'm open to suggestions....  I love a challenge..

thanks for reading :)


~oxoox ~shel