I like to make this dish the day before serving to allow the flavours to infuse and then reheat it. It’s substantial enough to serve as a vegetarian main course with crusty bread and a green salad, and also makes a good accompaniment to plain grilled meat or fish.
preparation time 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ salting the aubergines
cooking time 50 minutes
serves 6
Ingredients
1 kg (2 lb) large aubergines, thinly sliced
vegetable oil for shallow-frying
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
175 g (6 oz) onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel herb
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
750 g (11⁄2 lb) tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped (or use a 400 g/14 oz can of chopped tomatoes)
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 glass of dry white wine
2 drops of Tabasco sauce
1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
a pinch of caster sugar
125 g (4 oz) fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Put the aubergine slices on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes.
2 Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4. Rinse off the salt from the aubergines under cold running water, allowing the discoloured water to drain away. Gently pat the aubergines dry.
3 Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large frying pan until very hot and add the aubergines (don’t overcrowd the pan; cook them in batches if necessary). Season with salt and pepper and fry until golden on both sides. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish.
4 Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the herbs, tomatoes and tomato purée. Pour in the white wine and season with the Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and some salt and pepper. Mix together well and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
5 Pour the sauce over the aubergines and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until golden brown on top, then serve immediately.
Greek cheeses are readily available these days but I actually prefer the flavour of fresh Parmesan in this dish. It’s well worth stealing an ingredient from another country in order to get a superb finish.