Eggplant & Zucchini Rollatini

Someone at the table is bound to praise your rollatini dish, and then ask what the heck it is.  Your simple answer: thin slices of eggplant that are lightly breaded and fried, covered with cheeses, rolled up, topped with tangy tomato sauce and baked.

               Andrea Rivers                                                    Westbury, New York

Eggplant& Zucchini Rollatini Recipe

Eggplant & Zucchini Relating

1 large eggplant

½ tsp. salt

Sauce:  1/3 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes

¼ cup dry red wine or vegetable broth

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. each dried oregano and dried basil

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Relating:  4 cups (16 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened and cubed

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup olive oil, divided

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 cup dry bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Peel and slice eggplant lengthwise into sixteen 1/8 inch thick slices.  Place in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and toss.  Let stand for 3 minutes.  Rinse and drain.

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Add the remaining sauce ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes to allow flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a large bowl, combine mozzarella and cream cheese mix well.  In a large skillet, sauté zucchini in 2 tablespoons oil until tender; remove and set aside.

Place eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.  Dip eggplant in eggs, then bread crumbs.  Fry eggplant in remaining oil in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Scoop 1 cup sauce into an ungreased 13×9 inch baking dish.  Layer eggplant slices with zucchini; top each with 3 tablespoons cheese mixture.  Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish.  Top with remaining sauce.  Cover and bake 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

8 servings                                                                                                                            

(Recipe for Eggplant & Zucchini Rollatini came from tasteofhome.com)