Almost Italian

This meatless main course has many of the characteristics that define an Almost Italian dish. Although made from virtually the same ingredients as Melanzane alla Parmigiana (eggplant, tomato sauce, and cheese), Eggplant Rollatini is a New World invention that mimics the refinements of Old World Italian preparations of pounded veal cutlets rolled and stuffed with cheeses, prosciutto, salume, mushrooms, and other delicacies. However, in the Italian-American universe, where veal has always been an expensive meat, both restaurant and home cooks have been eager to dress up cheaper chicken and the ever-versatile eggplant as a stand-in for veal. (Eggplant was especially favored back when Catholic observance of meatless Fridays was far more prevalent than it is today.)

Eggplant Rollatini
Photo Copyright © 2010, Skip Lombardi

Eggplant Rollatini demonstrates that even humble ingredients can make an elegant presentazione. No matter how similar the flavors, no one would dispute that the rolls, cloaked in marinara, look prettier on the plate than a sloppily delicious helping of “eggplant parm.” And then there’s the multi-syllabic name, rollatini—indisputably exotic, but easy to say. But there’s a catch: rollo and what would seem to be its diminutive, rollatini, are not italiano; nor are they siciliano, calabrese, or pugliese… The Italian for “roll” is rotolo. Here in America, among immigrants speaking scores of regional Italianate languages while they struggled to learn English, many new words like rollatini were born.

In this case, the accidental reversal of consonants came into play. Americans call these “spoonerisms,” what your dotty aunt could say after a shot of grappa—a butterfly would be a flutterby, a bottle of Scotch became a scottle of botch.)

At some point, immigrants (who may have been illiterate in their own languages) said rol-la-tini, scrambling what would have been the ro-tol-li-ni of standard Italian. Linguists call this metathesis, but all you need to know is that everyone from Giada to your nonna in St. Louis now calls them “rollatini.”

In fact, both the spelling and the dish are good enough to have traveled back to Italy, where they now appear in many cookbooks and online recipe collections. (Just don’t tell your cousins in Palermo that the dish is probably bruklinese.)

For busy American restaurants, standardization of portion size has encouraged the mass-production of ricotta-filled eggplant rolls. Wholesalers supply many of today’s red-sauce joints with cases of frozen rollatini. The products aren’t bad, but if you take the time to make your own, the rewards will far outweigh the convenience of any frozen product.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants (each about 16-20 oz.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Lb. whole milk ricotta
2 Large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (preferably whole milk)
1 Cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano
1/3 Cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
Olive oil, for the baking pan
2 – 3 Cups My Grandmother’s Marinara Sauce

Additional shredded mozzarella (at least 1/2 cup)
Additional freshly grated Parmesan (1/2 cup)
2 – 3 Tbs. fruity olive oil
A little more parsley as a garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Trim the ends from the eggplants. With a large, well-honed knife, cut lengthwise slices, each about 3/8 in. wide. Layer the slices in a microwavable dish with about 1/4 cup water. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Carefully undo plastic to let steam escape. Rearrange the slices and steam again. You may have to repeat this procedure 3 or 4 times, but it is faster, neater, and less tedious than frying the slices!

When all the slices are thoroughly limp, set them in a colander to cool and drain.

In a 3-quart bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and gently stir in the ricotta. Fold in the mozzarella, Parmesan or Romano, chopped parsley and garlic. Do not overmix; stir just enough to combine.

Lightly oil a 13 by 9-inch glass or non-stick baking dish. (Dish should be at least 2 inches deep.) Lay the eggplant slices on a cutting board and lightly season each slice with salt and pepper.

To prepare each roll: With the wider end of a slice nearer to you, spoon approximately 2-3 Tbs. of the cheese filling onto that end and carefully roll away from you, gently stuffing any the filling into the roll as you go.

Place each rollatino—seam side down—into the oiled dish. Continue to fill the remaining eggplant slices and place each one snugly beside the others so they stay rolled.

Top the rollatini with 2-3 cups of the tomato sauce. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until the eggplant is thoroughly cooked (test with a fork). When the eggplant is tender, remove the foil, spoon any pooling sauce over the rollatini and sprinkle them with the additional mozzarella and Parmesan. evenly drizzle a little olive oil over the top of the cheese. Return the uncovered dish to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese and release the fragrance of the oil. You can let the cheese brown a little, but watch that it does not burn.

To Serve:

Spoon 2 – 3 Tbs. of the tomato sauce into 4 shallow pasta bowls. With a spatula or large serving spoon, gently place two or three rollatini into each bowl. Garnish with additional parsley and serve at once as main course, accompanied by good bread.

Serves four, with enough for second helpings.