Aubergine, pesto & mozzarella rolls with spinach & pinenut salad

These aubergine and mozzarella rolls are a lovely Mediterranean vegetarian dish perfect for eating in the sunshine, or a healthy salad indoors!

Serves: 4

What you need:

Aubergine rolls

• 1 large aubergine
• 150ml olive oil
• 8 tsp pesto
• 8 basil leaves
• 150g mozzarella cheese cut into 8 slices
• Salt
• Coarse ground black pepper
• 16 soaked wooden cocktail sticks

Spinach & pinenut salad

• 100g baby spinach leaves
• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 50g pinenuts, toasted
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil
• 15ml balsamic vinegar
• pinch of ground black pepper and salt

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 200c / 400f / gas 6
2. Trim aubergine and cut into 8 slices lengthways. Sprinkle with salt and place on a baking tray for 30 minutes until pliable. Rinse well and dry with kitchen roll.
3. Season the olive oil with black pepper and brush over one side of each aubergine slice then spread each slice with 1 tsp pesto, place a basil leaf and slice of mozzarella at one end of the slice, roll up and secure with 2 criss crossed cocktail sticks.
4. Place in a lightly greased, shallow ovenproof dish, brush with a little olive oil and bake for 20-30 minutes until nicely coloured.
5. Toss all the salad ingredients together.
6. Serve the Aubergine Rolls with the salad, and accompany with Italian bread.

Recipe created by the Cordon Vert cookery school

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