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Melanzane Parmigiana - Parmesan Baked Aubergine

I have to confess I wasn't the world's biggest aubergine fan. Maybe I'd had one too many insipid vegetable bakes as the veggie option in pubs and restaurants?

There's nothing quite like a pre-prepared pasta bake with ever-so-slightly-slimey aubergine, reheated at 10,000 ºC, to put a girl off the vegetable.

In fact, I suspect that many of the greatest sins against vegetables happen when chefs use aubergine for the token vegetarian dish.

I was somewhat sceptical when I tried this recipe.

But it is one of the most insanely delicious things I have ever eaten.

It's easy to cook, but it does take a while to prepare. So it's an investment. But worth every second.

So if you're one of the many who's not convinced by the humble aubergine, I suggest you give this one a go. Try it out, see what you think, and then rate it! Pass on your comments for the rest of us.

Note: it tastes great with in-season tomatoes - it's a useful way of using up a glut. Tinned tomatoes will do, but the taste isn't as sweet.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a main dish

2 medium aubergines
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium onions, chopped
2lb (1kg) fresh tomatoes (or 2 cans tinned tomatoes)
200 g chick peas (cooked or canned)
150g fresh parmesan, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 oz butter (optional, but tastes lovely)
3 sprigs of thyme leaves
handful of fresh basil
1 fresh mozarella, sliced (optional) for topping
1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional) for topping

Note: Parmesan is salty, so I haven't suggested adding any extra salt. But if you like strong flavours, season each layer to taste before cooking!

Method

Slice the aubergines about 1cm thick. There's no need to do the 1/2 hour palaver with drawing out the water, because you're going to grill them.
Warm the grill up to a high heat. Grill the aubergine slices for about 4 minutes each side. Keep an eye on them and don't let them burn.
Meanwhile, chop the onion roughly. Melt the butter and oil in a pan and gently cook the onion for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and soften for another 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme leaves.
Remove the aubergine from the grill and put on a plate. (If you leave them on the grill pan they'll continue to cook).
Peel and skin the tomatoes.

Put 2 small shallow cuts in each tomato.

Plunge them in a jug of boiling water for 1 minute.

Plunge them in cold water for a minute

Peel off the skins. Chop them in half and remove the seeds. The chop the flesh.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes

Add the basil. You can either leave the sauce chunky, or liquidise it.
Put a small amount of tomato sauce in the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
Then add a layer of aubergine. Top this with a handful of parmesan and the chick peas.
Another layer of tomato, then aubergine, then parmesan and finally a layer of tomatoes.
Top with the mozarella and the sesame seeds, if using.
Bake at 190 ºC for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to brown.
Serve immediately, with any fresh, green salad or vegetables.

Time From Cupboard-To-Table

About 45 minutes. More if your tomatoes are smaller (more to skin!).

But worth every second of the effort.

Notes & Variations

The parmesan really makes the difference here. Grating it finely helps it melt quickly and its flavour blends with the sauce.

Also, using fresh tomatoes gives such a sweet flavour. Skinning them is a bore, but it gives a smoother texture, which is more likely to be eaten by kids.

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Ratings & Reviews

Rating	Comments
10/10	My all-time favourite thing my Italian grandmother used to make me!
6/10	Quite tasty and edible but aubergines were still quite tough - I think next time instead of grilling I would fry in a little oil with some salt to help them become softer when cooking. Will try again though - trial and error with this one I think!

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