Aubergine parmigiana

Method

1. To make the aubergine parmigiana, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

2. Tip the tomato ata into a pan with the garlic and rosemary, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and add the vinegar. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the slices of aubergine on both sides, until browned. You will most likely need to do this in batches, in which case don’t add all the oil at the beginning. Drain on kitchen paper.

4. To make the cheese sauce, bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan, remove from the heat and then stir in the two types of cheese. 

5. Spoon some ata into a 30cmx15cm baking dish, layer in half of the aubergine strips, some sliced tomatoes, some oregano and basil leaves, some of the sliced mozzarella and half of the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with some of the Parmesan and all the pecorino and repeat with another layer of ata, aubergine, tomato, herbs, mozzarella and cheese sauce. Finish with a layer of ata, and top with the remaining Parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Bake for 40–60 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling and cooked through.

6. To make the salad, mix the leaves together in a bowl. Combine the oil and vinegar and use to dress the salad leaves.

7. To serve, spoon out some of the aubergine parmigiana, garnish with the fresh oregano and basil and serve with the salad on the side.