Parmigiana di Melanzane con marinara sauce - new version

 

'Former life, you know', as they look at you as you place the bubbling dish on the table, alongside the pasta, salad, bread and wine. 'Abandoned by wolves I was, yes, castaway by canis lupus, I was brought ashore by Naples, found and fetched up by a fearsome Italian Nonna, All Nonnas are five foot nothing, several hundred years old and afraid of no one, I'll have you know. Respected by all too. This is my Nonnas recipe, follow the instructions, on pain of death. Anyway making tortellini every day by the ton was better than gladiator school'. Your guests, who may disbelieve such a story will doubt themselves as they taste the parmigiana di melanzana... 'Good mates, Romulus and Remus were, you know. Don't know what I did wrong, really to be cast out, it was only a little fire', shrug and mutter, 'Huh, Rome, Nero. Would you like some Chianti?'

I make parmigiana regularly using my normal recipe elsewhere on the blog. This recipe is slightly different. I think it's better.

Buying aubergines, compare two of similar size and buy the lighter - it may have less seeds.

Prepping Aubergines

Slice about 5mm thick and place in a large bowl of water, add at least two tablespoons of salt, dissolve. Leave to soak for about half an hour. Drain and rinse for about three minutes in fast running water. Pat dry.

Get your oven up to 220 and put the aubergines in a baking tray season with salt and pepper, drizle over some olive oil, turn over and repeat. Bake for about thirty minutes or until lightly browned, turn once.

Marinara Sauce

In Rome, if onions are in the sauce, garlic isn't and vice versa. The tomato sauce is simply this. Fry in lots of olive oil three or four crushed garlic cloves until lightly browned all over, remove the garlic leaving the oil. Throw in two tins of chopped tomatoes, tea spoon of sugar, tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, oregano, thyme, pinch of cayenne, salt. Allow to simmer for over half an hour. Throw in some fresh basil leaves torn to pieces at the end if you have some.

Make 

Layer aubergines, then sauce, then grated Pecorino or Parmesan, repeat. The top should be covered with sauce. add small pieces of mozzerella. Bake for about half an hour until it looks like the pic above. Allow to cool for at least ten mins before serving.

Serve with

Boil some rigatoni, drain when al dente, add some chopped capers to the marinara sauce, add to the pasta, throw in some chopped mozzerella, season and add some basil, mix and serve.