Sheet-Pan Eggplant Rollatini Al Forno
Chapter 2 — Antipasti & Starters
Let’s get one thing straight: you will not find this dish in a trattoria in Florence. This is the proudly, unapologetically massive Italian-American restaurant classic, engineered for a houseful of people and a Sunday Gravy that’s been simmering since morning. We ditch the messy deep-frying station for a high-heat sheet pan roast, yielding perfectly tender eggplant planks ready to be loaded with a heavy matrix of whole-milk ricotta and mozzarella. It is dense, it is loud, and when it hits the table next to the foil-wrapped garlic bread, it tastes exactly like the joint on Arthur Avenue.
Before you start
Start the Sunday Gravy hours before the guests arrive.
A proper Italian-American sugo is a four-hour project, minimum. Get your pork neck bones, sausage, and meatballs simmering in the Dutch oven long before you start prepping the eggplant. For the meatballs, stick to the 50% beef, 25% pork, and 25% veal ratio bound with a milk-soaked panade.
Ingredients
- globe eggplants2 large
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup
- whole-milk ricotta cheese15 oz
- low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella1 lb
- Pecorino Romano1/2 cup
- egg1 large
- fresh flat-leaf parsley3 tbsp
- fresh basil1 tbsp
- garlic2 large clove
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- Sunday Gravy or heavy marinara4 cup
Method
- 01
Sweat the eggplant to draw out the bitter vegetation water and collapse the spongy cellular structure.
Lay the planks flat on wire cooling racks or clean kitchen towels. Sprinkle them aggressively on both sides with kosher salt and walk away for 30 minutes. Use paper towels to rigorously wipe away all the brown water and excess salt until the planks are completely dry.
- 02
Roast the eggplant planks on oiled sheet pans until deeply pliable and lightly golden.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Brush both sides of the dried eggplant generously with olive oil and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven to cool, then drop the oven temperature to 375°F.
- 03
Mix the ricotta with the egg, herbs, and grated hard cheeses to form a thick paste.
In a large mixing bowl, vigorously combine the whole-milk ricotta, half of the shredded mozzarella, the Pecorino Romano, the beaten egg, minced garlic, parsley, basil, and black pepper. Taste for seasoning, remembering that the Pecorino carries a good deal of salt.
- 04
Assemble the rollatini by wrapping the roasted eggplant around a generous dollop of the cheese filling.
Ladle about a cup and a half of hot Sunday Gravy into the bottom of a heavy 9x13-inch baking dish. Spoon two tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto the wider end of each cooled eggplant plank, roll it gently but firmly, and place it into the baking dish seam-side down.
- 05
Bake the dish smothered in sauce and the remaining mozzarella until bubbling and charred at the edges.
Ladle another heavy dose of gravy over the bundles, leaving the edges slightly exposed, and shower evenly with the remaining shredded mozzarella and a final dusting of Pecorino. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more until the cheese is deeply browned.
- 06
Let the rollatini rest for at least ten minutes before serving so the molten cheese matrix can set.
If you hit it with a spatula immediately, it will collapse into a soupy mess. Once rested, garnish with torn basil leaves and serve hot alongside a foil-wrapped loaf of garlic bread.
Notes
Do not compromise on the dairy.
Skim ricotta lacks the necessary milk fat and will weep water into your sauce. Pre-shredded mozzarella is coated in anti-caking starches that prevent a smooth melt. Buy the blocks and break out the box grater.
From Cook Red Sauce at Home.