Introduce more eggplant into your diet with this easy, healthy and flavor-rich vegetarian appetizer
There is a special delight in finder food, I think. Bite-size treats, whether savory or sweet, are a fantastic companion to a glass of wine and a great way to introduce the main course you prepared for the night. For me, several appetizers like this make for a perfect dinner.
In my surroundings, and I am referring to family and friends, eggplant or aubergine is on the bottom of the favorite foods list. People mostly hate it because it’s bitter. This is something you can solve easily: toss some salt over eggplant slices and leave for about 30 mins. Voila, the bitterness is gone!
Bitter or not, I am an eggplant fan. This veggie is very meaty and versatile and provides you with so many preparation options. From spreads to casseroles to great snacks like this one 🙂 Baked eggplant rolls with pungent stuffing such as mixed olive and almond tapenade, combined with feta cheese, really does the trick. And, from experience, the eggplant haters will love it, too!
This tasty roll is filled with vegan olive & almond tapenade.
How to prepare these baked eggplant rolls? It does ask for a bit of planning.
Start with removing the bitterness. Cut the eggplant into thin slices and align them on a large plate. Sprinkle with sea salt and leave for at least 30 mins (use this time to prepare the tapenade and read a book for the other 25 mins 😉 ). Preheat the oven and bake the eggplant until soft – for about half an hour.
The rest is super simple. Place the eggplant slice onto a cutting board. Add the stuffing with a teaspoon. Gently press and roll slowly. Once you have rolled it, use two toothpicks to secure the rollatini on both sides.
Tips to make this appetizer perfect:
✔️ Mind the thickness of the eggplant slices. If it’s too thin, it will decompose during the rolling process. Cut them into few millimetre slices, baring in mind that the baking will shrink them a bit.
✔️ Place the filling into the middle of the roll. Gently pressing will evenly spread the filling and firm the rollatini.
✔️ Mash the feta before placing it into the eggplant. Otherwise it will create a bump in your roll and possibly tear it.
Ready to play? Let’s go!
Rolled eggplant bites with olive-almond tapenade and feta cheese
Course: Snacks, AppetizersDifficulty: Easy12-16
rolls40
minutes25
minutesThis super tasty and healthy appetizer stars oven-baked eggplant, mixed olive & almond tapenade, and creamy feta cheese.
Ingredients
2 medium to large eggplants
About 50 g of feta cheese
Salt
Olive oil
- For the tapenade
20 g green olives
20 g black olives
20 g Kalamata olives
Few leaves of fresh basil
20 g roasted almonds
1 clove garlic
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
- Cut the eggplant into about 4-5 millimeter slices. Align on a large plate, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for at least 30 mins. After 15 mins, turn on the oven.
- In the meantime, prepare the tapenade. Blend all the ingredients, checking whether you need more olive oil. Pulse until you get a homogenized texture. Drip a bit of lemon juice, if you like.
- After 30 mins, dry the eggplants with a kitchen towel. Transfer onto a baking tray, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and bake until soft – approximately 20 mins. Let them cool.
- Mash the feta cheese with a fork, to make a paste-like texture.
- To prepare the rolls, place an eggplant slice onto a cutting board. Add one tsp of the tapenade and 1 tsp of feta cheese in the middle.
- Roll once, gently press and keep rolling the eggplant. Secure the roll with two toothpicks on the edges and carefully transfer onto the serving plate. Bon appetite!