A hearty Italian classic the whole family will love, Aubergine Parmigiana combines slices of golden pan-fried aubergine with juicy tomato, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil and salty parmesan for a dish that transports you off to Italy.
Ingredients: Serves 8
1.5kg Aubergines
Plain flour
350ml Olive oil
500ml Tomato passata
2 Tbsp. Basil leaves – torn
250g Mozzarella, grated
90g Parmesan, grated
Cracked black pepper
Method
Preheat oven – 200c/fan180c/gas mark 6
First thinly slice the aubergines lengthways. Layer the slices in a large colander, sprinkling salt between each layer. Leave for 1 hour to extract the bitter juices. Rinse and pat the slices dry on both sides with paper towels. Coat the eggplant slices lightly with flour.
Heat 125 ml of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Quickly fry the eggplant in batches over moderately high heat until crisp and golden on both sides. Add more olive oil as needed, and drain well on paper towels as you remove each batch from the pan. Make a slightly overlapping layer of aubergine slices over the base of an oven proof dish. Season with black pepper. Spoon 4 tablespoons of passata over the aubergines and scatter a few pieces of basil on top. Sprinkle with some mozzarella, followed by some Parmesan. Continue with this layering until you have used up all the ingredients.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15 before serving.
Gary Townsend is head chef at One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin, Glasgow. See www.hotelduvin.com or phone 0141 378 0385 to book.
Twitter @Chefgtownsend
Instagram- @chef.g.townsend
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