eggplant "canneloni" with tofu ricotta and pesto

these eggplant roll ups are easy but quite elegant.  you can serve them as appetizers or, paired with a salad, they can be also make a lovely and light main course.  i made the ricotta from tofu because i wanted these to be vegan, but you can use regular ricotta if you don't mind the dairy. if you do, i'd season it with some salt, pepper and herbs (much as the seasoning in the recipe).  these "cannelonis" are sufficiently moist and packed with flavour, so aside from a little drizzle of pesto, other sauce is unnecessary.  you can, however, serve them with some simple marinara sauce.

eggplant "canneloni" with tofu ricotta and pesto 
makes about 12-14
4 long japanese eggplants
enough olive oil for brushing both sides
1 batch of tofu ricotta (see below)
4-6T pesto (see below or use some store bought kind)

for the tofu ricotta: 
1 block of firm tofu
2-4T of unsweetened almond or soy milk
1-2T olive oil
1-2T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1 clove garlic
freshly ground black pepper 
mixed herbs (oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary)

for the pesto:
i cheated a bit.... i didn't have lots of basil so i used a a handful of spinach, and a tablespoon of each fresh basil, oregano and parsley (clippings from my window herb box).  i then added 3T of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon, a bit of salt, pepper, a handful of almond slivers and 1T of pine nuts.  blend. voila! pesto. 
 
instructions: 
slice the eggplants into 1/4inch thick slices.  brush with olive oil on both sides and roast in batches in a preheated oven for about 7-10mins or until soft and darkened.  flip, and roast for another couple of minutes.

while the eggplants are roasting, make the tofu ricotta.
crumble the tofu,  place in a food processor, add the almond/soy milk, 1T oil, 1T lemon juice, garlic and process until you get the consistency resembling ricotta.  add the fresh black pepper, herbs and, if necessary, the remaining salt, lemon juice and oil.

remove the eggplants and let them cool slightly until they are cool enough to handle. place the slices on a wooden board or another working surface. spread a little pesto on one side of the eggplant slice (covering the whole surface), then spread some of the ricotta over that.  roll each slice carefully making sure you don't squeeze too tightly (you don't want all the ricotta to ooze out).  place the rolled up "canneloni" in a baking dish (here you can add a little marinara to prevent sticking), top with a little more pesto and bake for 10 minutes to warm up.  if you will be using them as appetizers, you can skip this step and serve cool instead.