Is There An App For That: Baked Eggplant Rollatini

Food friends, I know I have blogged mostly about my wonderful husband, but this blog is dedicated to a subject that another important love in my life knows so much about: my mama. She is the queen of eggplant parmigiana. I went to college about two and a half hours away from my hometown, which meant I came home rarely; mostly just for breaks. I talk to my mom every day and have been doing so since I left for college. When my mom knew I would be coming home for a school break, she'd always ask if I wanted her to make any particular foods. My answer was always the same: eggplant parmigiana. You see, my mother's side is Italian. My grandmother, Aldina, was one of five children. Her mother, Assunta, came to the United States from southern Italy when she was 16. Assunta made the best eggplant. And before she passed away she taught my mother how to make it the same way. When we get together with my grandmother, her siblings, and all of their children and grandchildren, my mom is on eggplant duty. Those huge family gatherings don't happen that often any more, but when they do happen everyone agrees that mom's eggplant is the best, just like Assunta's.

Eggplant is my ultimate comfort food. I just love the flavor of it. This past summer Mr. Pickles and I honeymooned in Italy. Eggplant was a staple of most dishes I ate while in the seaside town of Positano. My goodness, the eggplant was to die for! I had a baked eggplant for lunch one day at a hotel on Positano's beach. It had local olives, tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese on it with a drizzle of olive oil. It was so simple (like many foods in Italy) but the freshness of the ingredients made this dish stay on my mind ever since. The last night of our honeymoon I had eggplant tortellini. I wanted to lick my plate clean. Then there was the grilled eggplant I had in a pasta dish in Florence. Delicious. Can you tell it is my favorite food? If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, mom's eggplant parmigiana would be it.

So, eggplant is always present at the holidays and when we have a family dinner. My husband had eggplant rollatini for the first time a few months ago when we went out to dinner and ordered it as an appetizer. Last week he said "You need to learn how to make that eggplant appetizer we had." I shot him a look of disappointment and said "I know how to make that dish." So, I got the ingredients needed for eggplant rollatini and went to work. I chose to bake the eggplant verses frying it and used part skim mozzarella and ricotta to try and make this a little less fattening. And I feel breadcrumbs overpower eggplant's light flavor, so I opted for a flour breading with a bit of polenta meal mixed in for texture and crunch. Also, I make my own tomato sauce about once a month and freeze it into equal portions to use for quick dinners during the week. Making homemade sauce is so simple and the taste is great. If you aren't comfortable making your own sauce, I think Newman's Own organic tomato basil sauce is a good option.

This dish is so pretty on a plain plate with the eggplant's purple edges rolled up and the cheese peeking out of the middle. Don't use too much sauce, just add a heaping tablespoonful onto each roll before baking. It's easy to serve up on small plates to a large crowd, or, if you want, it can be a main course for dinner as well! And keep a small bowl filled with sauce accompanying the rollatinis so people can spoon more sauce on if they choose to.

Ah, now I want to go back to Italy. It was gorgeous and a food lover's paradise to boot.

Baked Eggplant Rollatini
1 large eggplant, it should be firm with a slight give when lightly pressed
2 eggs, slightly beaten with 1 tbsp. water
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. polenta meal
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (enough to lightly coat baking sheets)
olive oil cooking spray or mister


for filling:
15 oz. part skim ricotta
1/3 c. shredded mozzarella plus more for topping
1 large clove garlic, pressed 
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
fresh ground pepper, 3 turns of the pepper mill
1/4 tsp. sea salt


Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice eggplant the long way using a mandoline or knife into thing pieces, about 1/4 inch thick. Pour the egg wash into one dinner plate. In the other dinner plate, combine flour, polenta meal, ground pepper, and salt with a whisk or spoon until well mixed. Take out two cookie sheets. Pour 1-2 tbsp. olive oil  onto each sheet, using a basting brush to spread evenly. Dredge the eggplant slices into the egg wash first, then the flour mixture. Place the dredged slices onto the cookie sheets. Take your olive oil cooking spray or mister and lightly and evenly coat the eggplant that is face up with oil. Place in the oven for 15-25 minutes, or until eggplant is golden brown (make sure to keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn). Remove from oven and turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.