INVOLTINI DI MELANZANE

This summer we had the opportunity to take a cooking class as a family in Amalfi, in an almost magical setting: a lemon grove set right above the town. La famiglia Aceto taught us how to make these light and super easy to prepare eggplant "roll-ups".

This dish is now our new favorite! Hope you will like it too.

TIP: the quality of the eggplants is crucial for a successful outcome. If you live in the US, please avoid buying the standards eggplants you find at the supermarket. They have too many seeds. Look instead for either Chinese eggplants (long and thin) or the Holland or Italian eggplants, which are going to be not as thin but with no seeds.

INGREDIENTS (for five people)

6 long eggplants
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
1/4 lb of diced provola (smoked mozzarella) or regular fresh mozzarella
grated Parmigiano cheese
fresh basil
salt
vegetable frying oil

olive oil


Start by washing the eggplants. Dry and remove the stem. Slice them thin lengthwise, discarding the first and last slices which will be mostly skin.
Fry them in vegetable oil until they become golden and drain on absorbent paper.

Make a sauce with the cherry tomatoes: wash them and cut them in half or fourths, depending on how big they are. Sautée them in a pan with very little olive oil. Add salt to taste. Don't cook them too long or they will become watery. Five minutes should suffice.

Use a plate to assemble the rolls: take one eggplant and garnish with the tomatoes, provola, grated cheese and basil (in this order). Roll it up and place it in a baking dish, side up. Continue until you run out of eggplants.

Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve warm.

Special Thanks to the Aceto Family!
http://www.amalfilemon.it/

ZUCCHINE ARROSTITE

Another easy side dish to accompany meat or fish. Also great to enrich your lunch sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

6 round zucchini (alternatively the traditional long ones will be just as fine - just beware of seeds if you live in the US)
Minced fresh garlic
Fresh mint
Salt
Olive oil
White vine vinegar


Wash the zucchini, remove top and bottom. Slice them thin (a little less than 1/4 of an inch)
and roast them, on both sides, making sure not to overdue it, as they will easily burn.
In a serving dish, make a layer of zucchini. Dress with salt, minced garlic and mint, olive oil and just some sprinkles of vinegar. Make several layers in the same fashion until you run out of zucchini.
You can keep this dish refrigerated for a few days.