Eggplant casserole

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg eggplant(s), medium-sized
• 1 kg tomatoes, ripe
• 1 bunch of basil
• 100 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 200g mozzarella
• 2 eggs, hard boiled
• 2 cloves garlic
• Oil, for frying and for the mold
• some salt
• some pepper, from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Eggplant Parmesan

Wash the eggplants, remove the stems, and cut the fruit lengthwise into approximately ½ cm wide slices. Sprinkle with salt, place on a plate, cover with a second plate, and place a weight on top. Let stand for at least 1 hour to draw out the bitterness from the eggplants. Sauce: Blanch the tomatoes, peel, and deseed them. Finely chop the flesh and heat in a saucepan. Cut 1/3 of the basil into strips, press in the garlic, and add both. Simmer until creamy, season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, briefly rinse the eggplant slices under running water, drain, and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Heat plenty of olive oil in a pan, add the slices in batches, and fry until golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper. Grease an ovenproof dish. Cut the remaining basil into strips, and slice the mozzarella and the two hard-boiled eggs. Preheat oven to 175°C. Line the dish with a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Arrange a few egg and mozzarella slices on top, cover with tomato sauce, and sprinkle with basil. Cover with eggplant, alternating layers of all ingredients in the order listed (leaving 2 tablespoons of Parmesan for sprinkling over the top). Finish with tomato sauce. Place the eggplant casserole in the preheated oven (gas mark 2) and bake for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Do not serve the casserole hot from the oven; it is best served lukewarm. This dish is also delicious cold!