Eggplant Rollatini by Nonna Romana of Mola di Bari, Italy
Use our BakeBot Ai Chat for instant answers.
Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations. My grandmother, Nonna Romana, and her three sisters would prepare this dish as a family in Mola, all having a different responsibility in the cooking process.
Eggplant Rollatini is one of my favorite dishes and I love that my "Nonna" has taught me the recipe.
Ingredients You'll Need
• 2 – Eggplants (1 large for slicing and 1 small for the stuffing)
• 2 Cups – Tomato sauce
• 1/2 Cup - Plain bread crumbs
• 3/4 Cup - Grated Parmigiano cheese
• 1/4 Lb - Mozzarella
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Cloves of garlic
• 1 Medium Onion
• 2 Tbs - Fresh mint - chopped
• EV olive oil
• Salt & pepper
Directions
Tomato Sauce:
• In a saucepan add 4 Tbs of EV olive oil, the finely chopped onion and one clove of chopped garlic. Once the onion is slightly golden add the tomatoes.
• Cook at low flame for 20 minutes. Stir the content from time to time.
Eggplant Preparation:
• Remove the peel from both eggplants.
• Cut the small eggplant into small cubes.
• In a sauté pan add ¼ cup of EV olive oil, the cubed eggplant, 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped and a pinch of salt. Sauté the eggplant until it becomes soft. Leave on the side to cool off.
• Cut the large eggplant in slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Slices should be cut long way.
• Fry the eggplant slices in oil. Dry any excess oil.
Stuffing Preparation:
• In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, ½ Cup of Parmigiano (leave a ¼ Cup to put on the rollatini at the end), bread crumbs, chopped mint, 2 tbs of EV olive oil, half of the mozzarella cut into small cubes, the sautéed eggplant and 2 Tbs of the tomato sauce that you prepared. Add pepper to taste.
• Mix everything well.
Rollatini Preparation:
• Take each slice of fried eggplant and add 1 tablespoon of stuffing on the slice and roll it. Repeat the process for all the slices of eggplant.
• In an oven pan, first add a layer of tomato sauce and then place all the eggplant rollatini.
• Cover all the rollatini with a layer of tomato sauce and a generous sprinkle of Parmigiano cheese.
• Put the pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 450F.
• In the last 5 minutes of cooking add a tiny slice of mozzarella on each rollatino and finish baking.