Eggplant casserole with tomato sauce à la Tommy

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 m.-large eggplant(s)
• 2 eggs
• Flour
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 kg tomatoes
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves
• 20 basil leaves
• 250 g cheese (Fontal Nazionale)
• 80 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 55 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

Wash the eggplants and cut into 1 cm thick slices, season with salt and pepper, and layer them. To drain the bitter liquid, weigh them down with a plate and let them stand for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, and cut the tomatoes into large cubes. Peel the garlic and cut into wafer-thin slices. Heat the olive oil, sauté the garlic until translucent, add the tomatoes, and simmer for about 15 minutes while stirring. At the end of the cooking time, season with salt and pepper, stir in the washed and roughly chopped basil, and set aside. Cut the Fontal Nazionale into small cubes. Add plenty of olive oil to the pan and heat. Pat the eggplant slices dry with kitchen paper and flour on both sides. Then dip them in the beaten eggs and fry on both sides until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (convection oven). Pour some tomato sauce into a baking dish, arrange the eggplant slices on top, and top with some of the diced cheese. Spread some tomato sauce on top of the cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat this process, finishing with tomato sauce, cheese, and Parmesan. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving. I made two layers of eggplant with these ingredients.