Vegetarian eggplant rolls with fettucine

Name: Vegetarian eggplant rolls with fettucine
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion, finely diced; 1 celery stalk, finely diced; 1/2 small leek, finely diced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 tbsp red wine; 400g tin diced tomato; 1 tbsp tomato paste (purée); 1/2 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves; 1/2 tsp finely chopped oregano leaves; 1 tsp soft brown sugar; 2 large eggplants (aubergines); 3 tbsp olive oil; 250g ricotta cheese; 2 1/2 handfuls basil leaves, finely shredded; 75g grated mozzarella cheese; To serve; Egg fettucine

October 31, 2013

Slice the eggplant thinly for the best results and use fresh egg pasta.Supplied

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

A recipe from the Good Food collection.

Ingredients

Tomato sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1/2 small leek, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp red wine
400g tin diced tomato
1 tbsp tomato paste (purée)
1/2 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
1/2 tsp finely chopped oregano leaves
1 tsp soft brown sugar
2 large eggplants (aubergines)
3 tbsp olive oil
250g ricotta cheese
2 1/2 handfuls basil leaves, finely shredded
75g grated mozzarella cheese
To serve
Egg fettucine

Method

Step 1
First, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, celery and leek and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes, or until the garlic starts to turn golden. Pour in the wine and cook for 4 minutes, or until it has almost evaporated. Stir in the tomato, tomato paste and herbs, then simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for 15–20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the sugar and add some salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm until needed.
Step 2
While the sauce is simmering, heat a chargrill pan to medium. Cut each eggplant lengthways into six evenly sized slices about 1cm thick, discarding the end pieces or reserving them for another recipe. Lightly brush each slice with the oil. Working in batches, chargrill the eggplant slices for 1–2 minutes, then rotate them at right angles and cook for another 1–2 minutes to get a crisscross chargrill pattern underneath. Flip the slices over and repeat on the other side. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Step 3
Heat the grill to its highest setting. Put the ricotta in a bowl with two-thirds of the basil and mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over each eggplant slice, then roll the slices up from one end and place seam-side-down in a shallow 18 × 22cm ovenproof dish. Spoon the warm tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with the grated mozzarella.
Step 4
Put the dish under the hot grill and cook the rolls for 7 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve on a bed of freshly cooked egg fettucine, scattered with the remaining basil.