Pumpkin parmigiana (parmigiana di zucca)

Parmigiana is a dish that’s usually made with aubergines. It comes from southern Italy, namely Campania and Sicily, where aubergines grow in abundance. Try this seasonal twist.

SERVES 4–6 PREP 40 MINS COOK 1HR 15 MINS

✱ 3 eggs

✱ 1 x 1.4kg pumpkin (you need around 1kg prepped weight), peeled, deseeded and cut into 5mm-thick slices

✱ Plain flour, for dusting

✱ Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

✱ 2 balls of mozzarella cheese (each about 125g), drained and roughly chopped

✱ 75g grated Parmesan cheese For the tomato sauce:

✱ 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

✱ 1 small onion, finely chopped

✱ 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

✱ 6 basil leaves

1 First, make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry over a medium heat for about 5 mins, then add the tomatoes, basil leaves and some salt to taste. Leave to simmer over a gentle heat for about 25 mins until thickened.

2 Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs in a shallow dish with a little salt and pepper. Dust the pumpkin slices with flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the beaten egg. Heat plenty of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan until hot, then add the pumpkin slices (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan) and deep-fry for a couple of mins on each side. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

3 Heat the oven to 180C Fan/gas 6. Line an ovenproof dish with a little of the tomato sauce, then place some pumpkin slices over the top, sprinkle with a little black pepper, dot with some mozzarella, sprinkle over some grated Parmesan and top with some more tomato sauce. Continue making layers like these until you have finished all the ingredients, ending with a final sprinkling of mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 15 mins.

4 Remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 15 mins until the cheese has melted and has taken on a golden brown colour. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 10 mins before serving. Per serving (for 6 people): 372 cals, 25g fat, 10g sat fat, 15g carbs