Recipe: Eggplant & ricotta rolls with zucchini flowers

You’ve no doubt seen chef Luca Ciano’s pasta sauces, pastas, jams and dressings in the supermarket. He now has a cookbook – Luca’s Seasonal Journey – so you can dive into the recipes that he and his family hold dear.

Each season is such a special time of the year for life and food, and in this beautifully photographed coffee table book, the chapters are divided into summer, autumn, winter and spring, with each season having a personal narrative from Luca describing specific memories of why that season is so special to him.

Here’s Luca’s recipe for Eggplant & Ricotta Rolls with Zucchini Flowers

Ingredients

150 g Baby zucchini with flowers
1 Eggplant – Cut lengthways into 5mm slices
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
250 g Fresh ricotta
120 g Flat pancetta – 8 thin slices

Method

1. Separate flowers from zucchini. Thinly slice flowers and zucchini stems. Set aside.
2. Spray a chargrill with cooking oil spray and heat on high.
3. Cook eggplant slices for 2-3 mins each side, until softened. Set aside to cool.
4. Heat half of oil in a frying pan on medium. Cook zucchini stem for 2-3 mins, until just tender, then remove from heat.
5. Fold through ricotta and sliced flower and season well, then transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
6. Lay eggplant on a flat surface and top each piece with a slice of pancetta.
7. Spoon ricotta mixture over pancetta and roll up to enclose.
8. Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with remaining oil to serve