Grilled Eggplant Roulade with Goat Cheese and Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

Grilled Eggplant Roulade with Goat Cheese and Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

Thinly sliced, grilled eggplant is filled with seasoned goat cheese, roasted red pepper and spinach then drizzled with a fresh tomato vinaigrette.

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Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Eggplant, Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers, Spinach

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 279kcal

Equipment

Mandoline
Chef Knife
Paring Knife
Cutting Board
Pastry Brush
Stainless Steel Tongs
Cast Iron Griddle or Large, Non-Stick Pan
Paper Towels
Small Sheet Pan
Parchment Paper
Small, Plastic Ziploc Bag
Large Pot
Medium Bowl
Small Sauté Pan
Wooden Spoon
Small Bowl
Fork
Colander

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

Gather all of your ingredients.
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.)
Brush one side of the eggplant generously with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
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.
Lay grilled slices on a paper towel lined stainless rack or sheet pan. Set aside.
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: You may opt to use jarred, roasted red pepper strips. If so, use as is and skip these steps.
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.
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.
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.
After being peeled, filet the tomato by quartering, removing the core, seeds, and dicing the rest. Set aside until you are ready to prepare the vinaigrette.
Note: You may opt to use canned, peeled, and diced tomatoes. If so, use tomatoes as is and skip these steps.
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.
In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, thyme, a little of the minced garlic (reserving the remainder), and salt and pepper to taste.
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.
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. Drizzle with olive oil, and place into the preheated oven. Bake 12-15 minutes.
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.
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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