Roasted Eggplant Firecracker Rolls Food

RICOTTA EGGPLANT ROLLS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant and lightly browned. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, and pepper. Simmer covered over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a large shallow dish, stir together the bread crumbs and flour. In a separate dish, whisk together the eggs and cream with a fork.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs. Fry each slice until golden brown in the hot oil, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
• Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto one side of each slice of eggplant. Roll up, and place in the baking dish seam side down. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls. Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Garnish with additional chopped parsley before serving if desired.

EGGPLANT ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut eggplants lengthwise into eighteen 1/4-in.-thick slices; reserve leftover pieces. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Coat both sides of eggplant slices with cooking spray; place in a single layer on prepared pans. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake until just pliable (do not soften completely), 10-12 minutes; cool slightly. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add spinach; cover and boil 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Drain spinach and squeeze dry. Chop spinach and set aside., Finely chop leftover eggplant to measure 1 cup (discard remaining or save for another use). In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chopped eggplant; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, puree, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until flavors are blended., Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients and spinach. Place a rounded tablespoon of filling on the wide end of each eggplant slice; carefully roll up. Place roll-ups over sauce, seam side down. Top with 1-1/2 cups sauce. In a small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; sprinkle over top. Bake until heated through and bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce and, if desired, sprinkle with parsley.

ROASTED EGGPLANT FIRECRACKER ROLLS

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant in half lenghtwise. Brush the exposed flesh with 2 tbs of the olive oil. Lay eggplant cut side down on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, until the flesh side of the eggplant is nicely browned and the eggplant has softened and fully cooked. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, use a large spoon to scoop the pulp away from the skin. Discard the skin. Heat the remaining 3 tbs olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion and red pepper until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the eggplant pulp to the mixture and cook for another 6-7 minutes until all the flavors have mingled and the eggplant has begun to brown in the saute pan. Add the cayenne, salt, pepper, cilantro leaves and bread crumbs, and mix well. Set aside to cool. Using 3 phyllo pastry sheets at a time, brush each sheet very lightly with melted butter and layer the sheets together. Cut the stack in half. Place 3 tbs of the eggplant mixture in a long thin strip in the center of each stack, so the phyllo can be rolled around it to form a cigar or firecracker shape. Roll the phyllo tightly, crimping the ends shut to seal in the filling. Repeat until all of the eggplant has been used. This will yield approximately 10-12 eggplant firecrackers. At this point, they can be held for up to 2 days, covered and refrigerated. To cook the firecrackers, saute in olive oil or lay them on a non-stick baking pan, and bake in a 375 degree oven until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Serve hot.