# Eggplant Parmesan rolls



## bubatora (Jul 7, 2014)

a quick vegetable recipe from Italy

Ingredients for 6 rolls:

-1 big eggplant
-tomato sauce
-1/4 onion
-6 slices ham
-6 slices cheese (dry mozzarella is better)
-bread crumbs
-grated parmesan cheese 
-olive oil
-salt

directions for tomato sauce:
put 2 olive oil tablespoons in a pot with chopped onion and warm up until it is golden brown.
add tomato sauce and a little bit salt and cook it about 30 minutes

directions for the rolls:
cut the eggplant in 6 slices about 1/4 inch thick, salt lightly and leave in a colander to drain away the water for about 30 minutes.
grill the eggplant slices in a hot pan until they're soft (3-4 minutes for side). 
leave from fire an let them cool.
when they're cold put 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese on every single eggplant slice , roll up each slice  and stop with a toothstick.
put the rolls in a casserole, cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan and bread crumbs.
bake in a preheated static oven at 390°F for 10 minutes

here they are

buon appetito


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## CraigC (Jul 7, 2014)

Looks excellent. What type of ham are you using? Can you use proscuitto crudo or should it be proscuitto cotto?


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## bubatora (Jul 7, 2014)

I used prosciutto cotto but you can use either. ... if you want to use crudo remember it is a little bit salty...so use less salt for the sauce

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## Addie (Jul 8, 2014)

Eggplant has to be my favorite veggie. The problem that my daughter and I share is that when we are preparing eggplant, none make it to the final dish. As fast as we fry them, they are in our tummy. I think we should buy one extra eggplant, prepare them, eat them until we are full, and then repeat with the rest of the eggplants. Maybe, just maybe, they will make it to the final dish.  It is pretty sad when there are four or five people sitting at the dinner table and only two rolls are in the dish.


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## bubatora (Jul 8, 2014)

addie you need a huge eggplant! !! 

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## Addie (Jul 8, 2014)

bubatora said:


> addie you need a huge eggplant! !!
> 
> Sent from my GT-I8190N using Discuss Cooking mobile app



Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I order eggplant parm. It is very hard to make a bad eggplant anything. I am not to fond of lasagna as I don't care for the ricotta. If they would put less in it, I would eat it.


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## bubatora (Jul 8, 2014)

Addie said:


> Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I order eggplant parm. It is very hard to make a bad eggplant anything. I am not to fond of lasagna as I don't care for the ricotta. If they would put less in it, I would eat it.



sorry Addie...my english is not so good.. I did not understand... do you use ricotta into lasagna in US?


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## Addie (Jul 8, 2014)

bubatora said:


> sorry Addie...my English is not so good.. I did not understand... do you use ricotta into lasagna in US?



Yes. The standard way is a thin layer of sauce, lasagna, ricotta, a layer of small meatballs, (sometimes) then another layer of sauce. Repeat to the top of the pan, bake. Each person has their own way of what they put for layers. But ricotta is pretty much the standard cheese that we use in the U.S. We also put parm. cheese on the top. Some will put dry mozzarella in it for the melting. Each person their own preference. Sometimes they make a vegetable lasagna. No meat at all. For that spinach is the main vegetable with ricotta. 

And your English is just fine.


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## Andy M. (Jul 8, 2014)

I also do not like ricotta.  The usual way it's made here in the US is with lots of ricotta.  Luca Lazarri, a DC member from Italy shared a lasagna recipe with no ricotta and I make it regularly.


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## bubatora (Jul 8, 2014)

sorry guys but I think to put ricotta into lasagna is a homicide!
I make it with bolognese sauce, besciamella, ham (cotto) (what's the word for cotto ham?) 
a lot of parm cheese and dry mozzarella or sottilette (do you know sottilette?they are cheese slices)


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## Dawgluver (Jul 8, 2014)

Lovely recipe!  So ricotta is an Americanization of lasagna?  


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## Andy M. (Jul 8, 2014)

bubatora said:


> sorry guys but I think to put ricotta into lasagna is a homicide!
> I make it with bolognese sauce, besciamella, ham (cotto) (what's the word for cotto ham?)
> a lot of parm cheese and dry mozzarella or sottilette (do you know sottilette?they are cheese slices)




I agree.  

Cotto ham is cooked ham.  This is similar to the recipe I use now, except I use sausage in place of the ham.


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## bubatora (Jul 8, 2014)

Dawgluver said:


> Lovely recipe!  So ricotta is an Americanization of lasagna?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking



Yes I think it is!  I have never eaten a lasagna with ricotta here in Italy! 

Thanks Andy, so the word for crudo ham is uncooked ham I guess. .. 


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## Andy M. (Jul 8, 2014)

bubatora said:


> Yes I think it is!  I have never eaten a lasagna with ricotta here in Italy!
> 
> Thanks Andy, so the word for crudo ham is uncooked ham I guess. ..
> 
> ...



Yes, that's right.  Prosciutto de Parma is crudo ham.


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## CraigC (Jul 8, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Yes, that's right.  Prosciutto de Parma is crudo ham.



Or San Daniele! Very good stuff!


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 9, 2014)

bubatora said:


> Yes I think it is!  I have never eaten a lasagna with ricotta here in Italy!



Whats in a true Italian lasagna?
Seems ricotta is very traditional here in the US.

I know one lady who uses cottage cheese.  It sounds terrible, but I never knew until she told me.


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## Andy M. (Jul 9, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Whats in a true Italian lasagna?...




See post #10


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## TATTRAT (Jul 9, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> I know one lady who uses cottage cheese.  It sounds terrible, but I never knew until she told me.



It's a cheap filler, drain some of the whey off, seasons with garlic, parsley, basil, fold in some shredded mozz, no one would know the difference.


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## bubatora (Jul 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Whats in a true Italian lasagna?
> Seems ricotta is very traditional here in the US.
> 
> I know two different kinds of lasagna but no one is made with ricotta.
> ...


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## Addie (Jul 10, 2014)

I like the béchamel sauce also. Specially in a veggie lasagna. It goes so well with the spinach. I am not too fond of ground beef. Or pork. Unless they are in meatballs.


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