Recipe Review Tuesday: Basil and Goat Cheese Filled Eggplant Rolls
30th August, 2011 - Posted by katherine - 2 Comments
I was surprised how easy this recipe was considering it sounds very fancy, but it was a fast and easy meal, the hardest part was thinly slicing the eggplants with my dull/cheap all purpose knife. Broiling the eggplants was quick, throwing together some basil and cheese in a bowl made a simple filling, and making the rolls was a 10 minute process – broiling the slices first made the eggplant very easy to work with and they stayed rolled up once assembled. I used a 16 oz can of tomato sauce rather than fresh tomatoes, and didn’t therefore have to mess with the forcing “the mixture through the fine disk of a food mill” step.
Here it is:
For the tomato sauce
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 2 pounds tomatoes, chopped coarse
- a pinch of sugar
For the eggplant rolls
- a 1-pound eggplant
- 1 cup grated mozzarella (about 1/4 pound)
- 3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) mild, soft goat cheese such as Montrachet, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
Make the tomato sauce:
In a heavy skillet cook the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes, stir in the garlic, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the tomatoes, the sugar, and salt to taste and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 20 minutes. Force the mixture through the fine disk of a food mill set over a saucepan and cook the sauce over moderately high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is thickened to the desired consistency.
Make the eggplant rolls:
With a hand-held slicing device or large sharp knife cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle the slices on both sides with salt and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes. In a bowl stir together the mozzarella, the goat cheese, and the shredded basil. Pat the eggplant dry, arrange one layer of it on the oiled rack of a broiler pan, and brush it with some of the oil. Broil the eggplant under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is golden. Turn the eggplant, brush it with some of the remaining oil, and broil it for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until it is golden. Transfer the eggplant to a large platter to cool and broil the remaining eggplant, brushing it with the remaining oil, in the same manner. Spread a mounded teaspoon of the cheese mixture lengthwise down the middle of each eggplant slice, leaving a 1-inch border at the wide end, and, beginning at the narrow end, roll up the eggplant jelly-roll fashion. Arrange the rolls, seam sides down, in an oiled flameproof shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and broil them for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is just melted and bubbling.
Transfer the eggplant rolls with a spatula to serving plates, spoon the tomato sauce over them, and garnish the rolls with the basil leaves. Makes about 12 rolls.
Posted on: August 30, 2011
Filed under: recipe
2 Comments
Rocky L.
September 5th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
This recipe looks very delicious!
katherine
September 9th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
It is! You should try it!
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