You know how some people ask you about your favorite things to get to know you? Like “what is your favorite book?” , ”what is your favorite food?”, “what is your favorite movie”, etc.
I can’t say that I like answering those types of questions, mainly because most of the time I do not have a readily available answer in my mind.
Don’t get me wrong. I do have an opinion about what I like. But when it comes to picking a “favorite”, I feel like I am being unfair to the other things I like.
That being said, when it comes to vegetables, things are a little different. I do have a “favorite”. A favorite, that stood the test of time even after years of cooking with a lot of other vegetables.
Eggplant Involtini
My favorite vegetable is eggplant. If I had my way, I could eat eggplants every day for the rest of my life.
Bold statement from a person who claims she does not have “favorites”, right?!!??
When I saw the remake of Eggplant Involtini in this month’s Cooks Illustrated magazine, I couldn’t wait to go to the supermarket to get some eggplants so that I can make it right away. It came at a perfect time as I was looking for vegetarian dishes to share on the blog.
In Italian, Involtini means “little bundles”. And this dish is exactly that. Thinly sliced eggplants filled with a delicious ricotta cheese based filling, rolled into a bundle, and cooked in an easy-to-make tomato sauce.
After topping it off with freshly grated pecorino cheese and chopped fresh basil, to me, this dish represents the best flavors of the Italian Cuisine.
Then, peel the eggplants with a vegetable peeler. For this recipe, I would recommend shorter and wider eggplants to get the best results.
Cut each eggplant lengthwise into 6 slices. Each slice should be about ? inch thick. Trim the rounded ends so that they will lay flat.
Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray them generously with cooking spray. Place 6 eggplant slices on each baking sheet.
Start with the first baking sheet. Brush each eggplant slice with two and a half tablespoons of olive oil and season it with ? teaspoon salt and ? teaspoon pepper. Flip each slice and do the same thing for the other side. Repeat the same process for the second baking sheet.
Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until they are tender and lightly browned. To ensure even baking, switch and rotate sheets half way through the baking process.
In the mean time, make the filling. Place 1 cup of homemade ricotta cheese (or full-fat supermarket ricotta cheese), ? cup bread crumbs, ? cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, ? cup chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ? teaspoon salt. Stir until they are all combined.
To make the tomato sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used my 10-inch cast iron skillet). Add the 3 cloves of minced garlic, ? teaspoon salt, ? teaspoon oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir them with a wooden spatula and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook in medium low heat, until it thickens. Cover and set aside.
When eggplants are baked, let them cool for 5 minutes. Do not turn the oven off. Heat the broiler.
Using a spatula, flip each slice over. With the widest side of the eggplant slices facing you, evenly distribute the ricotta mixture onto each slice. Starting from the widest end gently roll each piece and place it, seamed side down, in the pan with the tomato sauce.
Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
Place it in the oven and broil for 5 minutes for the eggplants to be browned and the cheese to cook thoroughly. To finish it up, sprinkle it with ? cup of grated Pecorino Romano and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. And serve.