Recipe from Christine Vartanian Datian
Adapted by Tara Parker-Pope
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- 4(55)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If you're looking to wow your crowd this Thanksgiving, consider these festive eggplant rolls. Courtesy of reader Christine Vartanian Datian of Las Vegas, these decadent rolls of Japanese eggplant strips, ricotta and walnuts are colorful and tasty, with an added crunch.
Ms. Datian said the dish is influenced by her Armenian heritage. Sometimes she substitutes almonds or pecans for the walnuts and sour cream for the ricotta, depending on her guests, but her preference is the combination of walnuts and ricotta, layered on the strips of Japanese eggplant. She serves it as both an appetizer and a main course, next to a fig and basil salad and with a variety of California red and white wines. She garnishes the dish with parsley and green onions to add more color.
"It's very, very pretty," said Ms. Datian. "The ricotta and the walnuts with the crunch factor -- people like it, and children like it too." —Tara Parker-Pope
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 6Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise in ½-inch slices
- Kosher salt
- 1½cups ricotta cheese
- ½cup finely ground walnuts, (about 1 cup whole walnuts ground in a food processor)
- 2cloves garlic, finely grated or chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1teaspoon dried dill
- ½teaspoon sea salt
- ½teaspoon nutmeg
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon
- Canola oil
- 8-10 cups mixed salad greens
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup candied walnuts
- 1handful basil
For the Salad
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Wash eggplants, cut off and discard stems. On a cutting board, using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice each eggplant lengthwise in long pieces, ½-inch thick. Sprinkle eggplant slices with Kosher salt and place in a large colander to drain for 15 to 20 minutes. Discard liquid.
Step
2
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, dill, sea salt, nutmeg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix all ingredients until smooth in texture and set aside. (Ricotta filling should be chilled until ready to use.)
Step
3
In a large deep skillet, pour ½-inch canola oil and heat over medium heat until oil is hot. Blot the pieces of eggplant with paper towel to remove any water droplets and fry eggplant slices in batches until golden brown on both sides, about 90 seconds per side. Remove from pan to drain flat on paper towels.
Step
4
Place slices of eggplant on a tray or dish and spread a tablespoon or two of the ricotta filling across each slice; roll up pin-wheel style and repeat until all eggplant slices have been filled and rolled.
Step
5
In a medium bowl, toss the salad greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Arrange the mixed greens on four serving plates and serve with eggplant walnut ricotta rolls. Toss torn basil leaves over the salad. Garnish salad with candied walnuts.
Ratings
4
out of 5
55
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Len Fishler
Drizzle a little pomegranate molasses over the roll-ups. They look beautiful and the sweet-tart flavor of the pomegranate really adds. Serve with a New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
K 2
The longer the slices, the easier it is to roll them and the more filling you can include. So ideally, your Japanese eggplants should be longer than 6 inches. When you slice them length-wise, you'll end up with some shorter pieces, so the longer the eggplants can be, the better.
lorraine
Hi Tara! Was that a fig and basil salad? I don't see the figs.
Joanne
Tike-consuming but goodOmit walnuts Fry longer with more oilDon’t use skin
linda
this was... fine. made pasta w/garlic and olive oil to go with, as it didn't seem like a meal. I used almond flour instead of walnuts. made half the recipe and that was too much for two people. did both fried and in the panini. defintely better fried. did basil, not dill. doubled the garlic. could be good with other combinations besides nuts and lemon.
Pierre
Wow. Excellent, multi-layered flavors and texture. A keeper.
Amy Bonanno
Hi there - can I substitute fresh dill for the dried? I never use dried dill and don't want to buy a jar for such a small amount. Thanks!
Len Fishler
Drizzle a little pomegranate molasses over the roll-ups. They look beautiful and the sweet-tart flavor of the pomegranate really adds. Serve with a New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
K
How long is each slice of eggplant before filling and rolling?
Asian eggplants come in many sizes.
K 2
The longer the slices, the easier it is to roll them and the more filling you can include. So ideally, your Japanese eggplants should be longer than 6 inches. When you slice them length-wise, you'll end up with some shorter pieces, so the longer the eggplants can be, the better.
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