Eggplant casserole with rye

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 kg eggplant(s)
• 250 g rye, whole
• 3 large onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large can of tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• some rosemary
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• some cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 100 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 balls of mozzarella
• Oil, for frying
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 13 hours 25 minutes

wholesome, easy to prepare

The night before, bring the rye grains to a boil with plenty of water, remove from the heat, and let them swell overnight. The next day, boil them in the soaking water for 10 minutes, transfer them to a sieve, and drain. It’s best to prepare the tomato sauce in a deep pot, as it tends to splatter. Fry the onions in oil, do not brown them, briefly fry the garlic, and add the roughly chopped tomatoes and their juices. Add the bay leaves, tomato paste, and rosemary, bring to a boil, and season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and a good pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer in an uncovered pot for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from burning. Remove the bay leaves and season again to taste. Clean the eggplants, cut them lengthwise into approximately 1 cm thick slices, season with salt on both sides, and let stand for 1/2 hour. Wipe away the bitter juices with kitchen paper. Brown in batches on both sides in a non-stick pan in oil and place on kitchen paper to absorb the cooking fat. Finely dice the mozzarella and mix with the Parmesan cheese in the drained and cooled rye grains. Layer the eggplant, tomato sauce, and rye-cheese mixture alternately in a large baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 45 minutes.