Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Ingredients

• 1¼ kg eggplant, sliced lengthways 1 cm thick
• 2 tsp salt
• 60 g wheat flour
• 2 dl vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic, thinly sliced
• 700 g passata
• 1 pinch white sugar
• 4 tbsp fresh basil, leaves torn
• 300 g mozzarella, torn and left to drain
• 80 g Parmesan, finely grated
• ½ tsp black pepper

Method

1. 1.

   Salt and dry the aubergine — Layer the aubergine slices in a colander with the salt between them and stand it over a bowl for 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt, then press the slices very dry between clean cloths — wet aubergine steams instead of frying.

2. 2.

   Simmer the tomato sauce — Warm the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic until it just turns blond, no darker. Add the passata, the sugar and a few basil stalks and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to sit in a spoon without running.

3. 3.

   Flour and fry the slices — Heat 1 cm of vegetable oil in a wide frying pan to 180°C. Dust the dried slices in flour, shaking off the excess, and fry them in batches for about 2 minutes a side until golden and floppy. Drain on kitchen paper.

4. 4.

   Layer the dish — Heat the oven to 190°C. Spread a thin film of sauce in a 20 x 30 cm dish, then build three layers of aubergine, sauce, torn mozzarella, basil leaves and a dusting of Parmesan. Finish with sauce and all the remaining Parmesan, and grind over the pepper.

5. 5.

   Bake until bubbling — Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is deep gold and the sauce bubbles up around the edges of the dish. If it browns too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top for the last ten minutes.

6. 6.

   Rest before cutting — Let it stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Straight from the oven the layers slide apart; rested, it holds a clean square and tastes far better warm than scalding.