The latest ingredient of the week for the Sunday Small Bites cooking group on slowtravel was eggplant selected by Eden. I was happy that she had selected eggplant because it is one of my favourite vegetables. In my mind I always associate eggplants with Italian cuisine - albeit lightly fried in a delicious eggplant parmigiana dish. MMMM
Given that I'm back on my careful diet routine tomorrow I decided to look for something that was a bit healthy. There would be no eggplant parmigiana on my table. SIGH
After some searching we selected this recipe that we found on the Food and Wine web site. Here thin slices of smoky grilled eggplant is rolled around a filling of creamy fresh ricotta with chives and diced tomato. The roll is tied with chives and served on a splash of tomato sauce for presentation. It was quick, low-fat (we used ricotta made with skim milk), refreshing, and delicious!
We shall definitely be making these again!
Grilled Eggplant Involtini
1 eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
1/2 pound fresh ricotta (1 cup)
2 tablespoons snipped chives, plus 16 whole chives
Freshly ground pepper
1 plum tomato—peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup prepared tomato sauce
Lightly sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let stand for 15 minutes.
Preheat a grill pan. Blot the eggplant slices dry with paper towels and brush with olive oil. Grill the eggplant over moderate heat, turning once, until tender and lightly charred, about 6 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a platter and let cool.
Working over a bowl, press the ricotta through a sieve. Add the snipped chives and season with salt and pepper. Stir the diced tomato into the filling.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the whole chives and blanch for 10 seconds. Drain and pat dry.
Spread the ricotta filling over the eggplant slices and cut each in half crosswise. Roll the halves lengthwise into small cylinders and tie with the blanched chives. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then serve over s spoon of tomato sauce.
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