rolled eggplant stuffed with goat cheese and things

i made this dish while visiting some dear friends of mine a few years ago. they live in atlanta. ga. they are vegetarians so i created this dish with that in mind. you will see from my notes though that this dish can also be made for non-veg heads as well. we purchased all the ingredients at the whole foods store.

1. prepare your favorite tomato/marinara sauce or open a jar (see this post for a few tips on jarred sauces), who cares, no one is looking anyway.
2. peel LARGE eggplants and cut “fillets” ¼ (.6 cm) inch thick, length-wise, then place on a well oiled sheet pan and bake at 450 degrees for about 6 minutes on each side and transfer to your counter or a tray and bake more pieces until done. (we had 14 rolls that night, thus i prepared 14 slices. you can also use fish fillets like sole, flounder or whole boneless trout for this. you can also take salmon and “pound” between sheets of plastic to make thin pieces to roll, too. and of course, chicken, veal or pork.)
3. small dice: red pepper, yellow pepper, shallots, leeks, mushrooms, garlic and onions and sweat in olive oil until clear and set aside.
4. chop olives (black or green) and re-constituted sun-dried tomatoes, grate mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
5. toast pine nuts (see this post for a few tips on toasting pine nuts) until golden.
6. after the veggies have cooled combine them with the nuts, goat cheese, parm cheese, olives, SDT’s, and mix gently. (folding is actually a more accurate term for this technique.)
7. chop italian parsley and fresh rosemary (not a lot rosemary is very aromatic) and add to cheese stuffing mixture, mix. set aside or frig-a-late until eggplant (if using) is all cooked.
8. TO assemble this dish: put some tomato sauce in the bottom of oven-proof deep-dish casserole dish.
9. place 1 or 2 tablespoons of cheese mix on the FAT end of eggplant slice (or fish or chicken) and roll making sure the cheese is evenly dispersed inside the roll. NOTE: if you are using fish or meat you need to skewer the rolls so they will not unroll, and sauté in some olive oil until the meat is cooked. make certain the pieces are not too thick to ensure a fast cooking time, use a low flame and be careful not to let the filling ooze hot during this process. place into the sauce and continue until all are rolled (cooked).
10. spoon a moderate amount of sauce onto the top of the rolls, top with mozzarella and then parm cheeses and bake until bubbling and cheese is melted. (the time depends on what you have used for the outer casing.)
11. serve with pasta (if not stuffed in pasta), barley or rice, a nice salad and garlic bread.
12. enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTES and AFTER THOUGHTS: i think ricotta cheese would also be a good choice for the dish either mixed with some goat cheese or alone. or possibly put a tablespoon of ricotta where each roll will go before placing the rolls into the sauce. pesto could also be included in this dish either drizzled on top before you lay on the cheese, or simply on the side as a condiment. further, most any veggies you like could be used and even the addition of cooked chick peas would not cause this dish to suffer.)
 

it goes without saying that you can also use pre-cooked lasagna sheets, conchiglioni shells or cannelloni or manicotti wrappers/tubes. if you are stuffing a pasta tube you will need a pastry bag with a very large tip or opening to fill them with. make certain the filling is a bit chilled so it will not ooze out the other end. (word for today must be ooze.) you might also be able to use one of these if the opening is large enough not to mush up the fillings veggies. 

another variation, but one that will require a bit more skill/expertise and patience would be to flour the rolls, moisten them with beaten egg, bread them (including the ends) and deep-fry before placing them into the casserole or individual baking molds like these. (breading and deep frying is probably not a good idea with fish, but for eggplant, chicken or pork, no problem.)

a thing of beauty and a labor of love.

that's me checking for finger prints because i had left the room.