Aubergine parmigiana

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For the tomato sauce

■ 10 garlic cloves, peeled

■ 1½ tsp salt, plus extra for the garlic

■ 120ml olive oil

■ 6 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

■ Black pepper

■ 2 tsp sugar

■ 1 tsp red-wine vinegar ■ A bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and torn

■ 1 red chilli, sliced into rounds

For the aubergine

■ 4 aubergines

■ 50ml tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

■ 2 tsp dried oregano

■ ½ bunch of basil,

1

Start by making the tomato sauce. Crush the garlic in a garlic press with a pinch of salt and you should be left with a lovely paste.

2

Place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic paste.

3

Fry the garlic for about 2-3 minutes, until it’s aromatic.

4

Add the tomatoes. Pour water into one of the empty tins, swill it round and add the contents to the pan.

5

Add the 1½ teaspoons of salt and the pinch of black pepper to the sauce, reduce the temperature to low and leave to slowly bubble away for 2½ leaves picked and torn

■ Salt and black pepper

For the parmigiana topping

■ 2 x 125g balls of mozzarella or vegan alternative, torn into pieces

■ 50g pecorino or vegan hard cheese, finely grated

hours until it’s deep red and thick. It should reduce by about one quarter.

6

When the sauce has reduced, stir through the sugar, vinegar, basil and chilli, if using. Set aside.

7

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas mark 6.

8

Take the aubergines, chop off the green tops and slice the flesh, 5mm thick, lengthways.

9

Line up the slices on kitchen paper and sprinkle generously with salt. Leave for 10 minutes to release the liquid, then blot dry with kitchen paper.

10

Grease 3 or 4 baking trays with a little oil and lay in the aubergine slices. They can overlap slightly, but if you don’t have enough trays, you might have to do this in batches.

11

Sprinkle with the 50ml of olive oil and the dried oregano and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about

15-20 minutes, until the aubergines are a little crisp around the edges.

12

Now start layering. Add a good 1 or 2 ladles of tomato sauce to the base of a medium-sized ovenproof dish, then place a layer of aubergines, with a few pieces of the torn basil, on top.

13

Repeat the process of layering the sauce, aubergine and basil until the dish is almost full – aim for at least 3 layers of aubergine. Finish with a thin layer of sauce.

14

Then, sprinkle the mozzarella and hard cheese over then put the dish in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until it’s golden and bubbling hot.