I took this to a potluck tonight and they were a hit so I promised to post the recipe here.

Friday morning I was listening to an NPR interview with Nigella Lawson and she had cooked up some eggplant feta rolls, which I thought sounded pretty divine.  I couldn’t find her exact recipe online, but I found something that sounded similar.  Then I changed it.  So here are my eggplant and feta rolls, possibly based loosely on Nigella Lawson’s recipe.  Possibly.

These are very rich so they are the perfect party food, where you know there will be a lot of people to help finish them.

Eggplant and Feta Rolls

2 large eggplant, cut thinly, lengthwise, into about 10 slices (I didn’t use the end pieces.  Too much peel)
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Basil, probably about 30-40 leaves, chopped fine (I used cinnamon basil, which has a nice spicy flavor to it)
1/4 C. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 T. olive oil
About 2 t. black pepper

Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt and lay slices on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to pull out some of the moisture.  I HATE spongey eggplant and have found that this is a good way to cut down on the potential sponginess.  Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil and cook for 4 minutes on each side, until golden and tender.  I roasted them in the oven, but you can also do this on the grill.

Crumble the feta into a bowl and stir in the basil, lemon juice and garlic, and grind in some fresh black pepper.  Spread some of the cheese mixture on the end third of each eggplant slice and roll up the eggplant.  Place seam-side down in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.