Eggplant with Parmesan cheese

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 eggplant(s), preferably round
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• ½ bottle of tomatoes, pureed, or fresh tomatoes
• 80 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• some oregano
• some salt and pepper
• some basil
• ½ liter olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Eggplant with Parmesan – Nonna’s recipe

Wash the eggplants and cut into slices about 0.5 cm thick. Heat the olive oil in a high-heat pan and fry the eggplant slices, one at a time, until golden brown. Then remove them from the pan and place them on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb some of the fat. Season the eggplant slices with salt. For the tomato sauce, dice the onion and fry it in olive oil in a small pan or saucepan. Slash 1 garlic clove several times with a knife and fry it with the garlic. Make sure the garlic doesn’t brown. Add the tomato sauce, season with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil, and simmer gently on low heat. The sauce should simmer for at least half an hour, otherwise it will be too acidic! Arrange the eggplants in a suitable baking dish, brush with a little tomato sauce, finely dice the garlic, and spread some over the eggplants. Then sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top. Continue layering until there is nothing left. The final layer consists of tomato sauce, garlic, and plenty of Parmesan cheese. Bake on the top rack of an oven preheated to 200°C for about 10 minutes. Serve with ciabatta and a full-bodied red wine.