Eggplant Roll-Ups (Μελιτζάνες ρολλά )

First, allow me to once again wish all the Mothers out there all the best and that we as children and grandchildren appreciate the boundless care and nurturing you give out each and every day.

Now, may I feed you?

The wonders of technology have brought our world much closer and our connection with far away Greece remains now through satellite TV.

I recently caught a cooking segment and Greek chef Dina Nikolaou shared with the viewers her take on Eggplant Roll-ups.

Some of you are familiar with lasagna roll-ups well, this is the same concept but we're rolling eggplant instead of lasagna.

This is a filling, vegetarian dish that amazingly kept my tummy happy for the remainder of the evening and through a night of some beverages with friends.

There are four basic steps here: make a basic tomato sauce, broil off your eggplant, assemble and lastly, bake.

This is easy-peasy, filling, delicious and as a proponent of eggplant, it's another great excuse to eat it!

Eggplant Roll-Ups (Μελιτζάνες ρολλά )
(for 4)

2-3 long, slender eggplants

Filling
150gr. Manouri cheese
150gr. Greek feta
1 egg
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 Tbsp. of bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp. of honey
1 tsp. sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Tomato Sauce
1 can of plum tomatoes, hand crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley

Mozzarella cheese for topping

Preheated 350F oven

1. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and adjust seasoning accordingly. Set aside.
2. In a large sauce pan, add your olive oil over med heat and add your onions and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes or until softened. Add your tomato sauce, bring to a boil and then simmer until desired sauce thickness is reached. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add the parsley and oregano, stir in and reserve.
3. Using a mandoline, cut 1/2 centimetre slices, lengthwise and place on a large baking sheet (you may have to broil in batches). Pre-heat your oven to broil.
   
4. Brush both sides of the eggplant with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven (on the highest rack) to broil for 3 minutes (just 1 side). Broil in batches and reserve.
5. Assemble your eggplant roll-ups in a casserole dish as follows:
   

• spread one heaping ladle of tomato sauce on the bottom and then spread the cheese filling along your slice of eggplant. Roll-up starting from the thickest and ending the roll at the narrow end.
• Place each eggplant roll, seamside down into the bed of tomato sauce. Repeat until your eggplant and sauce are all used up.
• Spread some more tomato sauce over your eggplant roll-ups and top each one with a slice of Mozzarella cheese.
• Pre-heat your oven to 350F and bake for 30-45 minutes (middle rack) until just golden on top. Serve immediately with a salad and Greek red wine.
  

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