Site Content

---

This is one of my favourite recipes of all time and it is completely vegetarian. My take on the regular recipe is to add courgettes which work really well.

I love to bake fresh focaccia or ciabatta to serve with this dish when it comes straight out of the oven and it is a wonderful meal, simply served with a fresh salad.

· 3 x good sized Aubergines

· 3 x courgettes

· 150g Parmigiano cheese, finely grated

· 1 x tin of tomatoes

· 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

· 500g carton Sieved Tomatoes (Passata)

· 2 x finely chopped onions

· 2 x teaspoons sugar

· Oregano

Tomato Sauce

Lightly sauté the finely chopped onions and then add the chopped garlic close to the end of the cooking, as the garlic will cook more quickly than the onions.

Add the tomatoes and passata, oregano, sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat down and simmer low for 90 minutes with a loose lid, monitoring frequently. You need the sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and to allow sufficient time for the sauce to cook properly and the liquid to reduce by 1/3.

Parmigiana Serves 4

The time-consuming task in this dish is to properly cook the aubergines and courgettes. If you don’t cook them fully, then the vegetables will be bitter and the dish won’t be at its best, so be patient!

Cut the aubergines into slices 1-1.2cm thick and discard the first 1/5cm of the slice, so you avoid any slices with skin on all one side. Then fry on a medium heat with vegetable or olive oil. Be aware that aubergines will absorb a lot of oil when frying, so be generous with the oil and only turn them when they have browned. 

When all of the aubergine and courgette slices have been cooked, you are ready to lay the Parmigiana.

Take a large casserole dish which is at least 8cm deep and place a layer of the aubergine/courgette, then a layer of tomato sauce, followed by a layer of grated parmesan cheese.

Continue layering until all of the aubergine/courgette slices have been used and ensure that you complete this with a layer of tomato sauce and parmesan.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 200 degC for 25 mins and take out when the top is nicely browned.