Eggplant lasagna with basil and almonds

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• Lasagna sheet(s) as required
• 1 kg eggplant(s)
• 600 g tomatoes
• 3 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ liter of milk
• 200 ml cream
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 piece(s) lemon peel, thinly peeled
• 1 bunch of basil
• 3 tbsp almond slivers or chopped almonds
• Salt and pepper, from the mill
• Grated cheese (Pecorino, Parmesan or Grana Padano)
• lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp vegetable broth, granulated

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Pasta, eggplant, tomatoes and cheese – pure Italy!

Melt the butter in a saucepan, sprinkle with the flour, and sauté briefly. Pour in the milk and cream, stirring vigorously with a whisk. Add the bay leaf and lemon zest, season with salt, pepper, and granulated stock, and simmer briefly. Wash the eggplant and tomatoes and cut into approximately 1 cm thick slices. Season with salt on both sides. Peel and slice the onions and garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan, fry the onions and garlic until light brown, season with salt, and remove from the pan. Fry the eggplant slices in batches on both sides until they begin to soften. Remove the bay leaf and lemon zest from the béchamel sauce, stir in some grated cheese (amount to taste!), and season with lemon juice, salt or granulated stock, and pepper. Wash the basil, shake dry, and pick off the leaves. Set a few leaves aside. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-assisted oven). Spread 2 tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish and arrange lasagna sheets on top. Then alternate layers of eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, sauce, and lasagna sheets, seasoning the vegetables again. Finish with a layer of sauce. Bake the lasagna on the middle rack of the oven for about 50 minutes. Cut the remaining basil into strips, mix with the remaining cheese and almonds, and sprinkle over the lasagna 20 minutes before the end of the baking time. Tip: You can also use milk instead of the cream. This will make the sauce less rich.