Eggplant involtini
People often ask me questions such as what do vegetarians/vegans have for Xmas lunch. I assume this is meant to be amusing because the questioner invariably has the answer ready to hand which was the whole point of asking the inane question. ‘Nut roast’! Oh how we laugh. After all we’ve never heard that joke before. In reality the answer is difficult because we veggies/vegans generally have a greater variety of options up our sleeves than our meat eating friends. Perhaps in future I should ask the question and then quip ‘turkey’.
Out of this year’s options I have chosen not our Xmas menu but our Boxing Day offering. Aubergine involtini – sorry I can’t get used to eggplant. This recipe has been lifted from The Vegetarian Times so credit to them.
Ingredients
2 large aubergines – diced
3 fresh tomatoes halved and de seeded
1 medium onion – diced
6 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
Chopped basil
1/4 cup kalamata olives
3 Tbs capers
Plenty of chopped parsley
2 Tbs nutrional yeast
2 cups prepared tomato sauce.
Method
Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together diced eggplant, tomatoes, onion, 3 Tbs. olive oil, and garlic in bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on baking sheet, and roast 25 minutes, or until vegetables are browned and tender. Transfer to food processor, and add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, olives, capers, parsley, and nutritional yeast; process until chunky-smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Heat remaining 3 Tbs. oil in grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant slices on grill pan 3 minutes per side, or until tender. Cool.
Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup roasted vegetables onto edge of each grilled eggplant slice. Roll eggplant slices into logs, and place seam-side-down in prepared baking dish. Spoon tomato sauce over eggplant rolls in dish. Bake 10 minutes, or until tomato sauce is hot and bubbly. Garnish with basil leaves.
I enjoyed this recipe with patatas bravas and artichoke focaccia (recipes for another time?) with a dip of Zaytoun extra virgin olive oil and Za’atar thyme herb mix – available from Amnesty International.
Stephen Brown