Best Sicilian Eggplant Rolls Recipes

SICILIAN EGGPLANT ROLLS

Steps:

• 1. Wash and slice up eggplants in 1/2 inch slices. Place in large bowl, make layers with eggplant slices and sprinkle each one with coarse salt. place a weight, e.g. pile of plates, on top. Wait 15 mins for bitter water to come out.
• 2. In the meanwhile, prepare basic tomato sauce: fry the onion, thinly sliced in 5 Tsp extra virgin olive oil, until soft and lightly colored but not brown. Add tomatoes, the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook on low heat for 10 mins. Reserve.
• 3. Prepare bread crumbs mix: in a bowl mix breadcrumbs with Parmigiano,chopped parsley and chopped garlic. Add 4 Tsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
• 4. Scrape salt off each slice, brush with olive oil and grill on hot cast-iron griddle for one and a half / two minutes on each side / or until slightly soft and nice grill pattern appears on surface
• 5. Preheat oven on gas mark 6, and prepare rolls: place some ham, a piece of provola and some breadcrumbs mix on each eggplant slice, and form rolls. Secure rolls with toothpick. Keep some breadcrumbs for the garnish.
• 6. Grease a baking tin with some olive oil, place eggplant rolls side by side. Pour tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining breadcrumbs. sprinkle with remaining olive oil. Cook in the oven for about 25 mins. Before serving, remove toothpicks and allow to cool for a couple of mins. Can be eaten hot or at room temperature. Watch a video of how I prepare this dish by clicking on the "video" icon underneath the picture on this page.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Steps:

• Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Coarsely chop the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.