make. this. now.

For the past month, the March issue of Bon Appétit has taunted me from my coffee table. "Make me!" screamed the Eggplant Parmesan on the cover. "You know you want to!" And I did want to--as a quasi-vegetarian, I'm always on the hunt for new meat-free dishes--I just hadn't had the time. Until last night, that is, when I finally gave in to temptation and gave it a shot.

I am so glad I did.

First, I'm always excited when a recipe introduces me to a new ingredient. Until yesterday, I'm pretty sure I'd never cooked with (or maybe even eaten?) Swiss Chard before, but I'll definitely be using it again. It's so beautifully green and leafy that just carrying it home from the market on a sunny spring day made me a little bit happier.  

Oh, and have I mentioned that this recipe is good? Like, restaurant-quality good. So-good-I-can't believe-I-made-it-at-home good. It's a perfect dinner-party dish, appropriate for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I followed the recipe almost exactly--the only changes I made were substituting part-skim ricotta for whole-milk, and using regular mozzarella instead of the kind packed in water.

Go make it!

Eggplant Parmesan Rolls with Swiss Chard and Fresh Mint
recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2010

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4 pounds total), trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Coarse kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1-pound bunch Swiss Chard, center ribs removed
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 15-to 16-ounce can tomato sauce
1 8-oz ball fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained, thinly sliced

Directions:
Cover bottom and sides of each of 2 large colanders with 1 layer of eggplant slices; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Continue layering eggplant slices in each colander, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt, until all eggplant slices are used. Place each colander over large bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse eggplant slices to remove excess salt; dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Position oven rack 5 to 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oild. Broil 1 sheet at a time until eggplant slices are tender and beginning to brown, watching closely and removing eggplant slices as needed if cooking too quickly, 3 to 4 minutes per size. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool eggplant while preparing filling.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add chard to pot and boil until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Squeeze chard very dry, then chop coarsely. Squeeze chard dry again between paper towels. Whisk eggs and pinch of coarse salt in medium bowl. Stir in chopped chard, ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, mint, and black pepper.

Lightly oil 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread half of tomato sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Divide chard-ricotta filling among eggplant slices, placing about 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each. Starting at 1 short end of each, loosely roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling. Arrange rolls, seam side down, atop sauce in baking dish. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over. Place mozzarella slices in single layer over rolls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and chill.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake eggplant Parmesan rolls, covered with foil, until heated through, about 30 minutes if freshly made or 40 minutes if refrigerated. Uncover and bake until brown in spots and sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.