Grilled Eggplant Roulade with Goat Cheese and Tomato Vinaigrette

This simple, yet elegant appetizer is loaded with fresh flavors and will be a hit among vegetarian friends as well as meat eaters! You can serve it warm, right out of the oven or at room temperature- it's delicious either way. I learned this recipe in culinary school, 'La Roulade d'Aubergine Grillee', and thinking I wasn't a fan of eggplant, was pleasantly surprised by how absolutely beautiful and yummy this dish was. Grilling thin slices of eggplant and stuffing them with a filling of roasted red peppers, sauteed spinach, and creamy, flavorful goat cheese made me an instant convert. Feel free to skip a few steps and purchase premade roasted red peppers or diced tomatoes, but if you have the time, it's definitely worth making these from fresh ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Large Eggplant
• 1 Large Shallot, divided
• ¼ C. Olive Oil plus an extra Tablespoon
• 5 Cloves Garlic, minced and divided
• 6 oz. Fresh Spinach, destemmed
• 4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, stripped from the stem
• 1 Large Red Bell Pepper or jarred roasted red pepper strips
• 3 Medium Tomatoes or canned, peeled, diced tomatoes*
• 4 oz Soft Goat Cheese
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Gather your ingredients.

Step 2: Using a mandolin, carefully slice eight (8), ⅛" slices of eggplant. (Depending on the size of you eggplant, you may have more than you need. Cover leftover eggplant tightly, refrigerate, and save for an additional use.)

Step 3: Brush one side of the eggplant generously with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Heat a cast iron grill pan (or a large, non-stick pan). Once hot, grill eggplant slices, oiled side down first, 2-3 minutes per side, oiling the opposite side while the first side cooks.

Step 5: Lay grilled slices on a paper towel lined stainless rack or sheet pan. Set aside.

Step 6: Quarter a red bell pepper, removing the core and the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and place sections skin side up on a parchment lined sheet pan. Turn on the oven's broil setting and place the rack in the middle section of the oven. Char the peppers until the outer skin has blackened.

Note: If using jarred, roasted red peppers, you may skip this step.

Step 7: Place the charred pepper in a Ziploc bag, seal, and allow to rest for about ten minutes. The contained steam will allow for easily removing the skin from the pepper.

Step 8: Once you remove the peppers from the bag, gently peel the charred skin away. Place the pieces onto a cutting board and slice each quarter into 4 strips, so you have a total of 16 strips.

Step 9: In the meantime, bring a pot of water to the boil. Slice an 'X' on the bottom of three tomatoes. Once the water is boiling, gently place the tomatoes into the water and wait 2-3 minutes, or until the skin begins pulling away. Note: We're not looking to cook the tomatoes, just blanch them, to more easily remove the skin. Carefully remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and place in a bowl. You may also wish to run the tomatoes under ice cold water to stop the cooking process. The skin should easily peel away once cool enough to touch.

Note: If using canned, peeled and diced tomatoes, you may skip this step.

Step 10: After peeled, filet the tomato by quartering, removing the core, seeds, and dicing the rest. Set aside until you are ready to prepare the vinaigrette.

Step 11: In a small pan, sauté half of the shallot and about 2 cloves worth of the minced garlic (reserving the rest) in a little olive oil. Add in the spinach to wilt and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Gather the contents of the pan, placing in a paper towel lined colander and squeezing out the excess moisture.

Step 12: In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, thyme, a little of the minced garlic (reserving the remainder), and salt and pepper to taste.

Step 13: Preheat the oven to 325℉ and gather all the finished components for your dish (grilled eggplant, sauteed spinach, roasted red pepper strips, goat cheese mixture, and olive oil), along with a spoon and a parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 14: At the largest end of the eggplant, add a large dollop of the goat cheese mixture, top with spinach and eggplant strips. Divide as evenly as possible. Gently roll and tuck the bottom of the eggplant over the filling, as tightly as possible without breaking the eggplant. Roll all the way up and then place each roulade onto the parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with olive oil, and place into the preheated oven. Bake 12-15 minutes.

Step 15: While the oven heats up, prepare the vinaigrette. Sweat the remainder of the shallot and garlic in the same saucepan used to sauté the spinach. Add in the chopped tomatoes and the red wine vinegar, then turn off the heat. The softer the tomato, the more it will break down.

Step 16: To serve, place the individual eggplant roulades on a serving platter, top each with a little of the tomato vinaigrette and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. May be served warm or at room temperature.

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