INGREDIENTS
- 2 large eggplants
- coarse salt
for the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chop
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chop
- 2 small red bell peppers, cut into strips
- Small chili peppers (not required, but it’s good to have in there)
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- Fresh tomatoes – rinse with boiling water and skin off or canned in their own juice – 400g
- 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste (or juice from canned tomatoes – 150 ml)
- 2-3 stalks of fresh thyme (I took basil)
- 1-2 bay leaves
- oregano, freshly ground pepper, sweet paprika
- 50 gr grated parmesan or cheddar
STEP BY STEP RECIPE
Washed eggplant slices diagonally, sprinkle generously with coarse salt and let stand for about half an hour. After about half an hour, drain, rinse with water and pat dry.
Heat a pan with oil, add onion, garlic, thinly sliced chili peppers (if desired) and fry about a minute, stirring. Sprinkle with sugar, stir and add the bell pepper strips. Cook over low heat for a few minutes. Add blanched and grated tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to mix. Bring it to the boil and turn down the heat. Season with spices, put sprigs of thyme, bay leaf and cook without cover for about 8-10 minutes, until it thickens.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme, whip the sauce with a blender and set aside.
Prepared eggplants fry on both sides until soft in a little vegetable oil. I use a grill in an oven, lightly oiling the slices. A variation is to bake them in the oven.
Place eggplants in a heatproof dish, pour the sauce
Sprinkle with grated cheese and send to a preheated 180 degree oven.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. You can either pour the sauce over the slices or alternate: a layer of sauce on the bottom (it gets very thick), a layer of eggplant, and so on. The last layer should be a layer of sauce, which you sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bon appetit!
