Serves 4
Preparation: 15 min
Cooking: 50 min
- 125 ml (½ c) olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 x 400 g whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme, chopped
- 10 ml (2 t) brown sugar
- handful of basil, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 4 aubergines, sliced
- 100 g mozzarella, grated
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease a baking dish.
1 Heat 30 ml (2 T) oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add the tomatoes and the thyme and simmer for 15 minutes.
2 Add the sugar and basil and season. Heat a griddle pan over high heat until smokey. Add oil to the pan and fry the aubergine slices both sides until almost soft and brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
3 Spoon a quarter the of the tomato sauce into the baking dish, followed by a layer of aubergines and sprinkle over a third of the cheese. Repeat the process, ending with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and basil.
4 Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and golden.