Griddled aubergine wraps itself around salty feta spiked with mint, baked with tomatoes and topped with melted mozzarella Yum!
Involtini just means little bundle in Italian; it can be used to describe meat wrapped variations too. This vegetarian version is a simple dish to make but one I cook time and time again I find that even people who have issues with the texture of aubergines like them cooked this way as the tomato and mint cut through it. I particularly love the bursts of sweetness from the raisins and the creaminess of the pinenuts in the filling that are reminders to me of holidays in Sicily and Venice Involtini makes a great comfort food dish for Meat Free Mondays I also like the fact you can make it family sized by cooking it in a large dish or make it in individual dishes – whichever suits
Incidentally, I don’t always have mint (dried or fresh) to hand in the winter so, as I drink peppermint tea, I quite often use some of the mint from the teabag instead rather than get some in specially. You can cook the aubergines (toast the slices in the oven if you are rushed and don’t mind not having the charred lines) and the filling in advance but it’s best rolled and assembled no more than an hour before cooking Once cooked do leave it to stand for 5-10 mins to avoid the mozzarella burning your mouth
Serve this with a salad (I love watercress so that’s what I’ve used here) or a green vegetable it’s a wonderful meal.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 3 aubergines, cut lengthways into slices about 1/4” thick
- 6tbsp olive oil (or as needed) for frying
- 150g feta cheese, crumbled
- 75g pine nuts, toasted in frying pan
- 50g raisins, soaked for 10 mins in hot water to plump up and then drained
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 2tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Finel grated zest of a lemon
- 1tsp dried mint or 2tsp finely chopped fresh mint
- 2tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1-2 balls mozzarella, sliced
Method
- Heat a griddle/frying pan over a high heat until hot
- Drizzle oil over aubergine slices and season well
- Fry in batches, using more oil when necessary, until aubergines are cooked and softened. Allow to cool
- Combine feta, pine nuts, raisins, olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon zest, mint and parsley in a bowl. Season and bind together with beaten egg
- Spread this mixture over cooked aubergine slices and roll up
- Place aubergine rolls either in individual dishes (allow 3-4 per person) or in a larger pan so that they fit snugly.
- Pour over chopped tomatoes and place mozzarella slices down middle of dish.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season.
- Bake at 180c uncovered for 30-40 mins until hot and bubbling
- Allow to rest for 5-10 mins until settled
- Serve with a green vegetable
