Baked aubergines with mozzarella

Baked aubergines with mozzarella is a classic Italian dish - Melanzane Parmigiano. It is a fantastic dish to make in late summer when aubergines are coming into season and fresh tomatoes are abundant. You also really must use the best mozzarella to do the vegetables justice.

For the rich tomato sauce:
1kg of fresh tomatoes or 2 tins of good quality plum tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp tomato puree
Salt & pepper

For the aubergine bake:
500g aubergine, 2 medium approx
1 ball of mozzarella, 125-150g approx
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of parmesan cheese
Small handful of fresh basil, 8-10 leaves approx
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Serves 2-4
Oven 200°C

To prepare the rich tomato sauce firstly peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. In a large pan heat the olive oil on a medium heat, add the onion and garlic, and sauté gently for 10 minutes until they start to soften. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan along with the puree then simmer on a low heat for at least half an hour until they break up and reduce to a thick sauce. Season well to taste and set aside.

Top and tail the aubergine then take a thin lengthways slice from either side to remove some of the skin and discard. Continue to cut the aubergine into lengthways slices no more than 1cm in thickness. In a large frying pan drizzle a little olive oil and heat on medium, then layer the pan with slices of aubergine and season well. Fry gently on both sides until golden and softened, then repeat with the remaining slices.

In a baking dish lay half the aubergine slices across the bottom, cover with half of the tomato sauce and scatter with a tablespoon of parmesan and half the fresh basil. Repeat with the remaining aubergine and top again with tomato sauce, basil and parmesan. Slice the mozzarella and top the bake with the slices. Bake in the oven for at least half an hour although the dish will happily cook for about an hour. Finish under the grill to brown if needed, and serve with a green salad or as an accompaniment to meat or fish