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.

polonaise ... another great idea for hard boiled quail eggs ...

today i decide to make a favorite of mine that i have not made in months, polonaise, bread crumb, herb and egg topping. this particular polonaise is a made from fresh bread crumbs, chopped hard boiled quail eggs, curly parsley, grated parmesan and gouda goat cheeses and seasoned with fresh milled black pepper, fresh milled sea salt, english mustard powder, garlic powder, shallot powder and the finest of hungarian medium hot paprika. i have left out the drizzle of melted butter trying to mitigate the cholesterol and fat implications. typically this is a topping for vegetables such as steamed broccoli and cauliflower, but today I will put it on fish. a fillet of white snapper I got at the thai fresh market down the street.

i first remove the crust form a “sturdy” white bread slices (a sour dough baguette is also good for this purpose but not wheat or grain breads) and cut them into small 1 inch squares. i then put them into the bowl of a food processor (follow this link and you will see a model i have had for 18 years and it still runs great, even after using it in a restaurant for many of those years) that has a basic s-knife blade installed. i then pulse the processor until the crumbs are fluffy. be careful to use a good white bread, and to make certain you do not over process the crumbs to the point where they become gummy and stuck together.

i remove the bread from the processor and then put in the quail eggs. note: they should be chilled so they too do not get over processed and pureed. pulsing the processor is best for this application. remove the eggs and add them to the breading.

next, finely chop your parsley, and grate both your cheeses. add them to the bread and egg mix and stir with a fork lightly making certain not to over work the mix and make it gummy.

now add your seasonings and mix again. if you wish to add melted butter, now is the time to drizzle that into the mix and give it a final turn. set it aside.

now get out an oven proof casserole dish and either moisten the bottom with a bit of oil, margarine or butter so the fish will not stick. you may also use a bit of tomato sauce if you choose; it goes quite well with the polonaise. place the fish in the casserole and top with the polonaise mixture. bake/broil until the fish is done and the polonaise is golden brown.

waa-laa, it be ready to eat. today I had mine with a small side of pesto pasta and sautéed zucchini squash.

note: dried bread crumbs are not good for this unless they are very large and started out like the breading described here.

bag of polonaise topping

baked and then broiled fish fillet with polonaise topping.

make certain the casserole dish is wiped clean of finger prints and oil residue so that it will not discolor when baking (also a good preventative measure if you intend on hitting someone over the head with the casserole before washing it). you can see i neglected to do that here on the inside of the casserole. that is what happens when you make lunch and work on the computer at the same time.

enjoy!