Aubergine Parmigiana

Melanzane Parmigiana is one of my favourite vegetarian meals. It’s hearty and delicious and leaves you feeling thoroughly satisfied. Traditionally Italians coat the aubergine in seasoned flour before frying it in batches. I find roasting the aubergine in the oven beforehand works really well and avoids the aubergine soaking up too much oil. You can play around with different cheeses, I like the flavour of Parmesan and the texture of a little mozzarella. Serve this with crusty bread and plenty of torn basil 🌿 ⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Tip Don’t forget to make extra as is so good cold the next day 😋 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Serves 4⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ INGREDIENTS ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3 aubergines⠀ 4 cloves garlic crushed ⠀ 1 onion finely chopped 600ml passata Handful of basil⠀ 180g mozzarella sliced ⠀ 60g grated Parmesan or pecorino/gruyere if you’re veggie extra virgin olive oil⠀ Salt and pepper ⠀ ⠀ METHOD ⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Slice the aubergine lengthways into 1.5cm thick slices. Season and Sauté them in olive oil until golden. Alternatively you can drizzle them with oil, season and roast for roughly 20 minutes (turning once) at 210 degrees. Do this in batches and set aside. ⠀ Sauté the onion for 10 minutes until soft then add garlic with the extra virgin olive oil for 1 minute. Add the passata and basil leaves and season with salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes on a low heat then set aside.⠀ ⠀ In an oven dish put a small layer of tomato sauce, then a scattering of Parmesan, followed by a single layer of aubergines and then mozzarella. Repeat these layers until you’ve used all the ingredients up, finishing with a little sauce and another good sprinkling of Parmesan.⠀ ⠀ Cook at 210 degrees for 20-30 minutes.⠀