I love Aubergine Parmigiana

I love it so much, in my mind its doesn't register as a vegetarian dish. Its just a pleasure to eat.

I have attempted to make it a few times in the past, based on the fact I have a general idea how its put together and have had varying levels of success. this is probably due to me doing it a little differently every time. I have, as is the point of this blog found a recipe to try, and I must say I was not disappointed.

200ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
a pinch of sugar
4 aubergines
3 x balls of buffalo mozzarella drained and sliced
1 pack of basil leaves
150g freshly grated parmesan

I must add that I used 1 tin of tomatoes and one carton of blended tomatoes with olive oil that you can get in supermarkets now just in case results are different with original recipe

Put 2 tbsp oil in a pan over a low heat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 8 -10 minutes until soft not coloured
Add tomatoes and 200ml of water and simmer down for 30 mins breaking whole tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. Taste and add sugar if required
I whizzed it in the food processor to ensure no lumps
Cut the aubergines lenthways into 5 mm slices, sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 minutes. Pat dry with kitchen paper
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the aubergines in batches until light golden on both sides, adding more oil if needed. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper
Preheat the oven to160 C gas mark 3
Spoon 3rd of the sauce into a oven proof dish, then a layer of aubergines slightly overlapping, a layer of mozzarella, a few basil leaves and a sprinkling of parmesan. Repeat twice seasoning well between each layer, finishing with a layer of aubergine and the remaining cheese
Cook on a baking tray in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour until a lovely bubbly crust has formed

I know sometimes when you read a recipe with a few fiddly bits it can put you off trying it but this is worth the effort and not really difficult

This can be assembled and chilled in advance. Bring it to room temperature before popping in the oven

Time taken     approx 2 hrs
Effort     3.5/5
End result     4.5/5     YUMMERS