Eggplant Rollatini

                            
 Eggplant is by far my favorite vegetable and I enjoy making and eating it in many different ways.  My version of eggplant Rollatini is breaded, fried, stuffed with 3 cheeses, and then rolled and baked with a marinara sauce on top. 

          If you do not have eggplant in your garden, eggplant can be found in the produce section of your grocery store  and is often found at local farmers markets. There are a variety of eggplants, but my favorite is the purple eggplant.  Just like any vegetable or fruit there is way to choose the perfect one.  Eggplants that do not have many blemishes are good ones to pick.  With eggplant you want one that has less seeds in it.  Most people think that the larger the better, but that is wrong.  The larger the eggplant the more seeds it has. 

Ingredients:

* 1 purple eggplant

* bread crumbs

* 3 eggs

* Marinara sauce

* 1 1/2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta

* 1/8 cup of Whole Milk Mozzarella (shredded) plus some more for later

* 1/8 cup Grated cheese (I use a blend of Parmesan and Peccorino)

* 2 TBSP. Fresh chopped parsley

* Salt and pepper to taste

* Olive oil for frying

Procedure: Step 1: preparing the eggplant

Eggplant can be bitter and spongy if it is not salted and pressed, not to mention it will absorb much more oil when frying.

* Cut the eggplant lengthwise into even 1/4 inch slices

* lay each slice on a dish and lightly sprinkle salt over the top.

* Place a paper towel on the top and place another dish on top, pressing down on the eggplant

* Let sit for 1 hour.  The paper towel will absorb a lot of the natural liquid from the eggplant.

 Procedure: Step 2 making the Rollatini

* Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

* Get 2 breading dishes and scramble 3 eggs in one and pour bread crumbs in the other

* One at a time, dip the eggplant in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs and place on a dish.

 

 * Get a frying pan and fill 1/4 inch high with olive oil and heat on medium

* Once the oil is hot, fry each eggplant on both sides until golden brown and tender

* Place on a dish lined with paper towel to drain the oil

 * In a small mixing bowl, put 1 1/2 cups of ricotta, 1/8 of a cup of grated cheese, 1/8 of a cup of shredded mozzarella, 2 TBSP of chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together. 

* Spread about 3 TBSP of cheese mixture on a slice of eggplant and roll.  Then place in a cooking dish.

* Pour heated marinara sauce on the top and bake for 15 minutes

* sprinkle mozzarella on the top and bake for another 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted.

Enjoy this delicious meal!