Eggplant Rollatini (Involtini?)
So, there are apparently two acceptable names for this dish.
From Wikipedia:
Rollatini (sometimes also spelled rolatini or rollentini) is an Italian-style dish (called rollatini di melanzane in Italian) that is usually made with thin slices of eggplant, which are dusted in flour or lightly breaded and covered with ricotta cheese and often other cheeses and seasonings, then rolled up and baked.
Rollatini is not an actual Italian word; in Italy the dish is known as involtini.
So, there you go. you learn something new every day.
Anyway, I digress. My entire family is descending on Baltimore this weekend to go to the Notre Dame-Navy football game at Ravens Stadium. And … most of them will be crammed into my apartment at one time or another.
I offered to make dinner on Friday night when they get in, and I’ve been meaning to give Eggplant Rollatini a try because my father is obsessed with it.
Well, perhaps more accurately, he is obsessed with recreating it as he used to eat it every Friday at some restaurant called Jimmy’s in Brooklyn Heights.
So, I’ll take a shot. Here’s the plan:
Eggplant Rollatini
- All purpose flour
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 3 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I’m most likely going to use Panko)
- 8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 medium eggplants
- 3 cups (packed) coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 12 ounces)
- 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese (preferably whole-milk)
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 baking sheets and one 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Place flour in 1 wide shallow bowl, eggs in second bowl, and breadcrumbs mixed with 1 cup Parmesan cheese in another. Sprinkle each eggplant slice with salt and pepper. Coat each slice with flour, then beaten egg, and finally breadcrumb mixture. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared sheets. Bake eggplant in batches until coating is golden, turning after 15 minutes, about 30 minutes total. Cool on sheets.
Mix mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, basil, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese, and garlic in medium bowl. Season filling with salt and pepper. Divide filling among eggplant slices (about 3 tablespoons per slice); spread evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling.
Spoon 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange rolls, seam side down.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon marinara sauce over rolls; sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup cheese (and more mozzerella cheese if you wish). Bake uncovered until rollatini are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes.
