Eggplant Parmigiana Puff Pastry Roll

17/11/2023

The puff pastry roll alla parmigiana is a rich and tasty dish inspired by the classic eggplant parmigiana, but with a different presentation that will surely surprise your guests. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

1 rectangular puff pastry roll
2-3 medium eggplants
200 g mozzarella (or fior di latte)
100 g grated parmesan
400 g tomato passata
1 garlic clove
Fresh basil to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Preparation

Start by washing the eggplants, cut them into slices about half a cm thick and fry them in hot oil until golden. Then, place them on paper towels to remove excess oil and set aside.
Prepare the tomato sauce by sautéing the garlic in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then add the tomato passata, salt and pepper, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. At the end of cooking, add some chopped fresh basil.
Now take the puff pastry roll and roll it out on a work surface. Spread the tomato sauce on top, leaving a border of about 1 cm free.
Distribute the fried eggplant slices over the tomato sauce, then sprinkle with plenty of parmesan and add the mozzarella cut into slices or cubes.
Gently roll the puff pastry onto itself starting from the long side, being careful not to let the filling come out.
Seal the edges well and place the roll on a baking tray lined with parchment paper with the seam side down.
Make light cuts on the surface of the roll and sprinkle with a little parmesan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
Let it cool slightly before slicing the puff pastry roll alla parmigiana into slices and serving.

Trivia

The term “parmigiana” does not derive from parmesan cheese, but probably from an arrangement of eggplant slices that resembles the slats of shutters (in Neapolitan dialect “palmigiana”). Eggplant parmigiana is a dish found in many variations in different regions of Italy, each with its own special touch.