Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut off the ends of eggplant. Cut eggplant lengthwise, into ½-inch thick slices. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt. Allow eggplant to sweat for 20 to 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.

Grease a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange dry eggplant slices on the sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, until eggplant has softened.When eggplant is cool enough to handle, place 2 heaping tablespoons of vegetable filling on one end of each eggplant slice. Roll into a tube, secure with a toothpick to keep it from unraveling. Arrange rollatini on a clean, well greased, rimmed baking sheet. Brush eggplant with more olive oil.

Bake eggplant rollatini for 25 minutes. Carefully loosen rollatinis with a spatula, taking care not to unravel or tear eggplant.

To serve, spread a bit of fresh tomato sauce on each plate, and top with 2 to 3 rollatini. Remove the toothpicks, and serve.

Vegetable Filling

Heat oil in a large skillet. 

Add shredded vegetables and sauté for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, and pepper if using. Allow vegetables to cool.  

Once vegetables have cooled down, add eggs (if using) and mix well. Sprinkle with potato starch, and mix again.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Fill a large pot with water, and heat until boiling.

In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice water. Set aside. Mark an “x” on the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes, a few at a time, into the boiling water for 1 minute, to loosen the tomato skins. Remove with slotted spoon and plunge immediately into ice water.

Peel the tomato skins; the skins will basically slip off the tomatoes as you handle them. Carve out the tops of the tomatoes, using a pointed knife. Squeeze out the seeds and juice.

Place the tomatoes in a large pot over medium heat. Do not add water. Heat the tomatoes through and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring constantly so that tomatoes don’t splatter.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a small skillet and sauté onion for 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

Add the sautéed onion, sugar, salt, and pepper if using to the tomatoes. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer in a mostly covered pot for an additional 20-25 minutes.