The gluten free diet craze seems to be the health trend of the moment. Whether you are on a gluten free diet or not, grilled eggplant stands in for a great alternative to sheets of pasta in cannelloni. The eggplant is filled with rich ricotta cheese and proscuitto rolled up into bundles and baked in fresh tomato sauce. You can certainly omit the proscuitto for a vegetarian version. Following a gluten free diet can be very good for you if you are eating plant based gluten free foods and avoiding all of the processed foods. I have tried a gluten free diet for a while when going through my cancer treatments. It made me feel pretty good but I fell back into my love for bread and pasta. It is rough being in an Italian family and trying to avoid gluten. If you are craving Italian and avoiding gluten, this dish will satifsy. Serve with a big green salad or a pile of sauteed greens. This recipe comes from a great cookbook called Eating Local by Janet Fletcher. The book is filled with delicious farm fresh seasonal recipes.
Ingredients: Serves 6 as a main course
-
2 large globe eggplants, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each
-
sea salt
-
extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Sauce
-
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-
1/2 yellow onion, minced
-
2 large cloves garlic, minced
-
1/ 1/2 pounds plum roma tomatoes, chopped
-
8 to 12 fresh basil leaves
-
1 tsp dried oregano
-
pinch hot chili flakes
-
sea salt
-
2 cups ricotta cheese
-
1/2 cup fresh grated pecorino or parmigiano reggiano cheese
-
1/3 cup mined proscuitto
-
2 T minced Italian parsley
-
1 large clove garlic, minced
-
fresh ground pepper
-
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano for topping
Method:
-
Slice off the eggplants’ green cap, then cut eggplant into lengthwise slices about 1/3 inch thick. Discard first and last slices. Your should get at least 6 large slices from each eggplant. Sprinkle them on both sides with salt, then set on a rack to let stand for 30 minutes. Moisture will bead on surface.
-
Prepare grill or grill pan to medium high. Pat the eggplant dry with a kitchen towel until dry and to remove excess salt. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Place slices on the grill and cook until they have grill marks and are pliable, about 3 minutes per side. They do not need to be fully cooked as they will finish in the oven.
-
To make tomato sauce, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they soften and collapse to form a sauce. Add torn basil leaves, chili flakes, oregano (rubbing between fingers as you do so), and salt to taste. Simmer gently until sauce has thickened.
-
Combine ingredients for ricotta filling
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow baking dish, spread 1/3 of sauce on the bottom.
-
Put a generous 2 tablespoons of filling on each eggplant slice, carefully roll like a jelly roll. Place rolls seem side down in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and parmigiano cheese.
-
Bake until lightly browed and bubbly. 45 minutes or so.









