Aubergine Parmigiana with Torn Basil
1 h 20 min · Medium
#bake#comfort#italian#vegetarian
Southern Italy's answer to lasagne, and arguably the better one — no pasta, just silky roasted aubergine layered with tomato, molten mozzarella and a salty parmesan crust. Make it in the afternoon and let it sit; it tastes even better an hour later.
Ingredientsfor 4 portions
- 900 g Eggplant, sliced lengthways, about 1 cm thick
- 700 ml Tomato Sauce
- 250 g Fresh Mozzarella, torn, drained well
- 80 g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
- 20 g Basil, leaves torn
- 3 clove Garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1.5 tsp Sea Salt
- 0.5 tsp Black Pepper
Steps
- Lay the aubergine slices out on a tray, salt them on both sides and leave for 20 minutes, then blot dry with kitchen paper. This draws out bitter moisture so they roast rather than steam — skip it and the finished dish turns watery.
- Heat the oven to 200 °C. Brush the slices with olive oil, spread them over two trays and roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until floppy, golden and lightly blistered at the edges.
- Meanwhile warm the rest of the oil in a pan over medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook for a minute until it just turns pale gold — never brown, or it goes bitter.
- Pour in the tomato sauce with the oregano and a little salt and simmer for 10 minutes until it thickens and loses its raw edge. Stir in a few torn basil leaves at the end.
- Build in a baking dish: a smear of sauce, a layer of aubergine, more sauce, torn mozzarella, a dusting of parmesan and basil. Repeat until everything is used, finishing with sauce and a heavy blanket of parmesan.
- Lower the oven to 180 °C and bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the sauce bubbles lazily up the sides of the dish.
- Rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting — straight out of the oven it will slump on the plate, but rested it holds a clean slice. Finish with the last of the basil.
