- 4
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- Serves 4 – 6
- Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 25 – 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F/ Gas Mark 4
- 260 gr / 9 oz filo pastry sheets, thawed
- 3-4 medium eggplant (aubergine)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 small tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 bunch or 1/2 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 60 gr / 2 oz shredded mild cheddar or mozzarella (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg, beaten and 1 tablespoon olive oil for brushing the rolls
- Sesame seeds to decorate the rolls
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Bowl of water to seal the rolls
Preparation
Step 1
Directions:
For best results, thaw the frozen filo pastry in the fridge overnight and bring it to the room temperature 2 hours before using. That enables the filo thaw completely.
1. Cook the eggplants (aubergines) on a barbecue grill or over and open gas flame turning occasionally by the stalks until the outer skin is charred and blistered and the inner flesh soft. (Alternatively they can be baked in a hot oven for about 45 minutes). Peel away the burnt skin and discard the stalks.
2. Put the flesh in a colander to drain away any bitter juices. (You can prepare the eggplants this way a day in advance; squeeze lemon juice over to retain its color and keep in the fridge covered).
3. Finely chop the flesh and set aside.
Filling
1. Sauté the onions with some olive oil for a couple of minutes, until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes, until most of the liquid is evaporated.
3. Add the eggplant flesh and stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Once cooled, add the cheese and mix well if using. Check if more seasoning is needed, set aside to cool.
4. Place the sheets of filo on a flat surface and cover with a damp dish towel to keep moist.
5. On a dry surface, place 2 filo pastry sheets on top of one another and cut in half horizontally to form two rectangles.
6. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the middle and roll like a cigar. You can roll the cigar into a rose and seal the end with a little water. Make sure you seal all the openings/cracks with a little water. Repeat this with all rectangles.
7. Mix the egg with the olive oil.
8. Brush the rolls with this mixture and place them on a greased tray.
9. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rolls and bake them in the oven for about 25 minutes or until golden.