I certanily hope that you have been watching the River Cottage Veg Everyday series?! One of the chefs at the River Cottage canteen made this in one of the episodes and it looked so good I had to make it myself.

I only glanced at the receipe and then made my own version. Business as usual in other words.

Melanzane parmigiana, serves 3-4

2 aubergines

1 buffalo mozzarella

100-200 ml grated hard cheese, i.e. Emmenthal

olive oil for frying

Tomato sauce:

400 g tomato chunks

200 g passata

1 splash or water

1 tbsp Italian herbs

1 msk balsamvinäger

1 garlic clove, pressed

salt, white pepper

Pour all the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a saucepan. Stir occasionally while it bubbles away and thickens, takes about 30 minutes. Wash the aubergines and cut them, skin on, into 1/2 cm thick slices. Fry in (plenty of) olive oil until soft and brown. Tear the mozzarella into chunks.

Butter a gratin dish (10 x 20 cm) and pour some tomato sauce into it. Add a layer of aubergines on top, and top that with mozzarella chunks and grated cheese. Repeat until you have three layers/used everything up. Bake in 200C for about 40 minutes. Serve with some bread and perhaps a salad.