Eggplant alla Ricotta

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 750 g eggplant(s)
• some olive oil
• 600 g beef tomatoes, peeled, halved and pitted, roughly chopped
• 1 onion(s), finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, halved and sterilized
• 3 pinches of sugar
• Salt
• some peppercorns, roughly crushed
• a little cayenne pepper
• 150 g ricotta
• 1 egg(s)
• 4 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 dl double cream
• Salt and pepper, from the mill
• some basil branches, including flowers

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Heat the olive oil. Cut the eggplants lengthwise into approximately 1-centimeter-thick slices and fry in the hot oil over moderate heat until golden brown. Then place them on a triple layer of kitchen paper to drain. Caution! Only fry enough slices at a time to keep the heat in the pan from dropping too low. Only steam the eggplant slices. However, they need to be fried to develop the right flavor. Place the tomatoes in boiling water. After one minute, remove them with a slotted spoon. Peel and halve them, and discard the seeds and juice. Roughly chop the remaining flesh. Dice the onion and sauté gently in a little olive oil until golden brown. Time: About 12 minutes. Add the sterilized garlic (you can use whole young garlic). When the mixture is fragrant, saute the tomatoes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Let everything simmer for 15 minutes. Reduce the mixture to a slight thickening. Beat the ricotta and egg until the mixture is creamy and runny. Mix in the Parmesan cheese. This should now form a thick cream, which you can season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the double cream. Season everything again to taste. Line an ovenproof dish with half of the eggplant slices, sprinkle with some cracked pepper, and roughly tear a few basil flowers and leaves and scatter them on top. Pour the tomato mixture over the eggplant slices and place the other half on top. Firmly press the mixture down with a suitable cutting board. Pour the ricotta mixture over the eggplant and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place everything in a preheated oven at 240°C (475°F). After 10 to 12 minutes of baking, reduce the heat to around 180°C (350°F) and continue cooking for another 20 to 30 minutes. Important! When the surface of the gratin has risen and is firm but still moist, serve with plenty of salad.