Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Rollatini

On top of spaghetti...all covered with Eggplant Rollatini.

This is a dish I've never tried before. But I love eggplant—aubergine, to those in the know. And I love hot bakey things, otherwise known as casseroles.

Fortunately, I live in a climate that allows me to pop things in the oven in the middle of summer without worrying about wasting air conditioning—what air conditioning?

This dish takes a good while to prepare, but much of it is wait time—waiting for the eggplant to sweat, waiting for the peppers to roast, waiting for the casserole to bake...it does take some time to fry the eggplant slices, though. I experimented with baking half of them in the oven, but it made them too stiff to roll. Maybe a shorter bake, just long enough to make the eggplant pliable, might work.

Further instructions follow. 

Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Rollatini

2 eggplants, cut lengthwise 1/4-1/8 inch
salt
4 red, yellow or orange peppers
1 cup soy milk
1 cup (or more) dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs—(oregano, tarragon, marjoram, basil)
Cooking oil
1/2 lb Chinese-style tofu
8 ounces soy cream cheeze (Tofutti brand)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup soy milk
1 cup (or more) flour
2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs—(oregano, tarragon, marjoram, basil)
1/4 cup cooking oil
Tomato sauce (about 3 cups; depends on the size of your dish)
fresh basil, for garnish

Sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices and set aside.

Place peppers on a baking pan and place in the oven. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes, until the skin begins to turn brown. (No need to preheat the oven.) Remove from oven and let cool. Peel the skins off the peppers, and tear the peppers into 1-inch wide pieces.

Make cheeze mixture: Combine tofu, cream cheeze, lemon juice and parsley in a food processor and whiz briefly.

Pat the eggplant dry. Put 1 cup or so of soy milk in a shallow sided dish large enough to hold the eggplant slices. Place dry bread crumbs and herbs on a plate. Stir to combine.

Heat 1/4 cup cooking oil in a pan.

Place an eggplant slice in the soy milk, then dredge it in the flour. Fry it in the pan until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining pieces of eggplant.

To assemble:
Preheat oven to 350.

Pour half the tomato sauce in a baking dish, preferably a 9 x 13 inch dish. Set aside.

Place a slice of roasted pepper on one fried eggplant slice. Spoon a dollop (1 tablespoon or so) of the tofu mixture onto the pepper, and roll up the eggplant. Place the rolled eggplant slice in the dish, with the seam side down. Repeat with the remaining eggplant pieces.

When you've rolled all the eggplant, pour the remaining sauce over the eggplant rolls. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until heated through.

Serve with pasta, preferably spaghetti. Sprinkle fresh basil on top.