Melanzane Parmigiana

Ingredients

2 aubergines
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion – finely chopped
2 sticks celery – sliced
1 red pepper – halved, deseeded and sliced
1 red chilli – finely chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
2 x 125g mozzarella balls torn into small chunks
Parmesan cheese
Basil leaves

Preheat oven Gas 6 / 200ºC / 180ºC fan.  

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and celery and fry over a gentle heat until soft add the garlic, pepper and chilli and cook for a further minute or two.  Add the tomatoes, sugar and season. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Preheat griddle pan.

Slice each aubergine lengthways as thinly as you can and brush with a little olive oil then griddle in batches, the aubergine should be softened and slightly charred.

Place a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce in the middle of an ANTA baking dish, then a layer of aubergine placed widthways, cover with a bit more sauce and scatter over some mozzarella, repeat the layering placing the next layer of aubergine lengthways. The final layer should be tomato topped with mozzarella.

Grate over a good layer of Parmesan.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes until starting to brown, let it stand for 10 minutes before serving sprinkled with basil.