Melanzane alla parmigiana (vegetarian)
The original Southern Italian bake of aubergine, tomato sauce and cheese. In Campania they swear the aubergine must be fried first. That gives the soft, almost buttery texture that makes this dish so good. Grilling works too, but frying is authentic. Salting the aubergine first is not optional: the bitter substance that comes out is called solanine and the salt draws it out. Never skip that step.
- 2 large aubergines
- 1 tbsp salt
1 Cut the aubergines into 1 cm slices. Lay them on a rack over the sink, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
2 Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven and soften both for 5 minutes.
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tin)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch of sugar
- salt and pepper
- handful of fresh basil
3 Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper. Tear in the basil at the end.
- 3 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
4 Heat a layer of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the aubergine slices in batches until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on kitchen paper. Add more oil between batches.
- 30 g Parmesan
- 250 g mozzarella
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- handful of fresh basil
- drizzle of olive oil
5 Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Slice the mozzarella and let it drain on kitchen paper (this stops the bake getting watery). Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add a layer of aubergine, then sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat until everything is used, usually 3 layers. Finish with tomato sauce, mozzarella and a generous layer of Parmesan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
Ingredients
Step 1
- 2 large aubergines
- 1 tbsp salt
Step 2
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
Step 3
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tin)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch of sugar
- salt and pepper
- handful of fresh basil
Step 4
- 3 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
Step 5
- 30 g Parmesan
- 250 g mozzarella
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- handful of fresh basil
- drizzle of olive oil
Method
- 1 Cut the aubergines into 1 cm slices. Lay them on a rack over the sink, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
- 2 Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven and soften both for 5 minutes.
- 3 Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper. Tear in the basil at the end.
- 4 Heat a layer of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the aubergine slices in batches until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on kitchen paper. Add more oil between batches.
- 5 Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Slice the mozzarella and let it drain on kitchen paper (this stops the bake getting watery). Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add a layer of aubergine, then sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat until everything is used, usually 3 layers. Finish with tomato sauce, mozzarella and a generous layer of Parmesan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
