Zucchiniröllchen in Tomatenrahm (zucchini rolls in tomato cream sauce)
Zucchini sliced lengthwise paper-thin on a mandoline, salted briefly to draw out water and make the ribbons pliable, then rolled around a ricotta and herb filling and baked in a tomato cream sauce. Salting the ribbons before rolling is what keeps them from cracking, unsalted ribbons straight off the mandoline are stiff enough to snap when curled around the filling.
Prep35 min
Cook25 min
Servings4
Christoph's zucchini rolls in tomato cream sauce, the ribbons salted before rolling so they don't crack.
Ingredients
Written for a 23 × 33 cm dish
Units
Temperature
Servings
Zucchini rolls
- 3 zucchini, large, sliced lengthwise on a mandoline into thin ribbons rounded
- to taste fine salt, for salting the ribbons rounded
- 250 g ricotta rounded
- 50 g grated vegetarian hard cheese rounded
- 15 g fresh basil, finely chopped rounded
- 2 g grated nutmeg rounded
Tomato cream sauce
- 30 ml olive oil rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 2 garlic cloves rounded
- 500 g passata rounded
- 150 ml heavy cream rounded
- 60 g shredded cheese, for the top rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin ribbons on a mandoline. Lay them on a tray, salt lightly, and let sit for 10 minutes to release water and soften. Pat dry.
- Combine the ricotta, grated hard cheese, basil and nutmeg in a bowl. Season with salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 4 minutes. Add the passata and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes more.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan). Spread a third of the sauce in a baking dish.
- Spread a spoonful of the ricotta filling over one end of each zucchini ribbon and roll up. Arrange the rolls seam-side down over the sauce.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls and scatter with the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden.
Notes
- Salt the zucchini ribbons before rolling. Unsalted ribbons straight off the mandoline are stiff enough to crack when curled around the filling; salting draws out water and makes them pliable.
- Pat the ribbons dry after salting. Excess surface water thins the sauce and makes the rolls slide apart.
- A mandoline gives even, thin ribbons. A knife works too, but takes longer to get slices thin enough to roll without tearing.
- It keeps and reheats well for 2 days.
Ingredient substitutions
- Ricotta can be swapped for a well-drained soft curd cheese.
- A handful of chopped spinach, wilted and squeezed dry, is a good addition to the filling.
- Serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
From Christoph Mayer