Monday, March 30, 2009

Eggplant Rolitini



This is a fabulous dish that's sort of like a pumped up version of Eggplant Parm. It starts off with fried slices of eggplant, but then it goes further when you roll it up and fill it with ricotta cheese. LOVE that.
Seriously.

2 fairly large eggplants
salt
3 large eggs
2 tbs flour
bread crumbs
oil for frying
Marinara Sauce (or your favorite jarred sauce, or your own)
ricotta cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 350F.
Peel eggplant and slice lengthwise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices on a baking tray and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for an hour so the salt will pull out all the bitter juice. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels.
Mix together the eggs and the flour. Dip eggplant slices into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs. Saute on both sides in hot oil until golden. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
Pour a little marinara sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Place a dollop of ricotta cheese in the center of each eggplant slice. Top with a little mozzarella cheese. Roll up the eggplant so that the cheeses are in the center and then place it seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining eggplant. Pour a little more marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with some more mozzarella and a little Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Tips:
I never cook eggplant without salting it first, just to get rid of the bitter juices. It really makes all the difference in the world. If you're worried about it tasting too salty, just give it a super quick rinse under some running water, but be sure to immediately pat it dry so it doesn't absorb too much water.
The amounts of the cheeses and the sauce aren't specific because it all depends on what you like. Do you like alot? Add alot!

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