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Baked Melenzane -- Eggplant Roll-ups
(5 to 6 servings)
Written by Judy Shallenberger
As a child I heard over and over from my Italian grandfather say to my grandmother, "Let's have Melenzane tonight." Even as a kid I loved all the ways my Grandmother fixed eggplant. Our family would often make sandwiches with the leftovers, since eggplant has a toothsome texture and is a wonderful substitute for meat.
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Eggplant has many nutritional benefits.
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- 1 large eggplant sliced lengthwise about
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbs flour
- 5 -6 slices of baby or Jarlsberg Swiss cheese
- 5-6 slices of proscuitto
- 1-1/2 cups chopped or minced Roma tomatoes
- 2 pinches sea salt
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1 tsp minced
- Slice a large eggplant lengthwise, in about 6 or 7 slices, rinse and sprinkle each side with the sea salt, rubbing each side, and let stand about ten minutes.
- While eggplant is resting, wash tomatoes, and chop finely and put into a bowl. Add 1 tbs olive oil, basil, garlic powder, 2 pinches of sea salt and let stand.
- Flour a large plate and coat each piece of eggplant with flour on both sides. Set each slice of eggplant on a large baking sheet coated with about 2 to 3 Tbs olive oil. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake 5 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the oven and let cool about 10 minutes. Eggplant should be tender.
- When eggplant is cool, put a half slice of swiss cheese and prociutto on the center of the slice and roll from one end to the other.
- Place each roll, seam side down in a 12-16 inch baking dish, drizzled with 1Tbs olive oil.
- Pour tomato mix over the top of rolls. Bake 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until tomatoes are bubbly.
Nutritional Benefits:
Eggplant is high in potassium, niacin, folate, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, all heart healthy minerals.
The purple in eggplant is loaded with the phytochemical nasunin. Phytochemicals are found in plants, and play a big role in protecting the plant from pests and other environmental culprits.
When we eat vegetables we inherit the same types of protections these chemicals give to the plants when they are growing.
Nasunin is a powerful antioxidant that according to studies, literally eats up free radicals that can do damage to your DNA. If that doesn't sound good enough, nasunin also protects your body against lipid peroxidation. In simpler terms it keeps fats from oxidizing, turning rancid, and sticking to your arterial walls. When this happens it helps to prevent the bad LDL cholesterol from accumulating in our bodies. So when you are busy eating vegetables vibrant with color, remember there are chemicals at work doing positive things for your health.
For more info call Judy Shallenberger at (775)884-3990.
