Eggplant Rollatini

Living in the fog zone here on the Central Coast I am a sucker for warm, cozy comfort foods. Recently I tried my hand at eggplant rollatini which was not only excellent but surprisingly simple to make. I had a smoking hot tray of cheesy rollatini on the table paired with a nice rose from Ancient Peaks in about one hour. And the best part is, this recipe will not break the calorie bank  and still satisfy your taste buds.

Eggplant Rollatini

• 2-3 eggplants, stems removed and cut into 1/4 in. slices
• 2 c. low fat cottage cheese
• 2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1 c. basil and/or parsley
• 3/4 c. shredded Romano
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 c. marinara

Ancient Peaks Rose

Preheat oven to 450. Blanch eggplant slices in batches, 2-3 min. per batch, turning once. Transfer to paper towel lined baking sheet and pat dry (honestly, I just put them in a colander and the water drained off just fine). Puree (food processor) cottage cheese, mozzarella, herbs, Romano, garlic, lemon zest, pepper flakes, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Cover the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish with 1/2 c. marinara. Spread a heaping Tbsp. of the cheese mixture onto each slice of eggplant. Roll starting from the narrow end. Arrange in baking dish, seam side down, packed tightly in one layer. Cover with remaining 1/2 c. marinara. Bake until bubbly, 15-20 min.

Serve with a fresh green salad and a nice glass of Ancient Peaks Rose or local Pinot.