Edible Adventures

I used to be an emotional eater (Don't knock it. Look at Oprah). Now I am too busy to eat! I jest.

Living in Italy with two toddlers, a lanky man from Lazio and a foreign language poses it's problems. But cooking is not one of them.  Both preparing and devouring my concoctions give me a great satisfaction and almost instant relief to life's little stressors. When all else fails in this wacky foreign place, I rely on the comfort of food (and a bit of wine) to bring me down off the ledge.

Yesterday, my Sicilian-actor friend Vito came for lunch. (NOTE: He is gorgeous, so I always get the fish eye from the neighbors. Which is funny because I am not his type. Because I do not have a penis).

For Vito, I doctored up an involtini recipe from Sicily and paired it with a bottle of Nero D'Avola I bought for three bucks at my local vegetable and fruit market. Nero D'Avola is a great Sicilian wine- grab it if you see it on the shelves of your local stores. It's versatile- goes with any meal. If you like a Syrah- you'll go for this too.

Sicilian Eggplant Roll

(I have converted from metric. This constitutes as higher math for me. You are welcome)

Ingredients:

10 oz flour

5 oz ricotto (fresh. I used sheep's ricotta)

warm water (a cup or less)

tsp sea salt. 

2 tbs olive oil 

two eggplant

6-8 small tomatoes (roma, cherry, etc)

1 onion

oil

1 garlic clove

2 cups milk

sea salt to taste

8oz smoked provolone (or any harder smoked cheese avail)

Dough:

combine flour, salt, oil on counter surface. With hands make a hole near the center of the mix- add ricotta and start working. Slowly add water (as needed) to mixture until dough is mixed well and formed in to ball. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375

Filling:

Cube eggplant, provolone and cut up tomato. Slice onion.

Soak eggplant in milk for five minutes (takes away bitterness).

Set provolone aside.

Heat a pan with olive oil and garlic clove.

Add onions. Saute until translucent

Add eggplant and saute.

After approx 2 minutes add tomato.

Saute until vegetables are cooked through. Add salt to taste. 

remove from heat and add cubed provolone

Roll out dough in a circular form. 

Add the eggplant mixture in a horizontal line though the middle of the dough.  Fold the dough over to close (like a long envelope).

Bake for 25- 30 minutes.

*** There may be filling left over. If so, marry it with a tomato puree. Blend and heat on stove for about 10 minutes on low heat. Now you've got yourself a tangy eggplant pasta sauce as well.