Cretan eggplant rolls with minced meat and feta cheese

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 eggplant(s), narrow, long, purple
• n. B. Salt
• e.g. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 m.-sized eggs
• e.g. breadcrumbs
• 250 g minced meat, mixed
• 100 g feta cheese, shredded
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 2 tsp oregano, fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp salt or chicken broth powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• n.e. walnut kernels, coarsely chopped
• n. B. grapes, light yellow, green

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Wash the eggplants, trim both ends, and cut lengthwise into approximately 8 mm thick slices (using a bread slicer or adjustable slicer). Salt both sides of the slices and let the salt soak in for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water and dry thoroughly on a clean tea towel. In the meantime, finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add the ground beef and fry until all the liquid has evaporated, breaking up the meat into crumbs. Remove from the heat, let cool, and transfer to a bowl. Mix the spices and feta cheese into the ground beef mixture. Fry the eggplant slices with 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil until browned on one side. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pour into a shallow plate. Also keep the breadcrumbs ready in a shallow plate. Place the eggplant slices browned-side up on the countertop. Spread a tablespoon of the minced meat mixture over the bottom of the slice. Then roll the slice from bottom to top, not too loosely, and secure the roll vertically with a toothpick. Dip the almost-finished rolls in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumbs. Place them in a sufficiently large pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the breaded rolls in batches until light brown. Drain slightly on kitchen paper. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with walnuts and grapes to serve as an appetizer. Serve with bread and tzatziki.