Ingredients
3 large aubergines
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 x 400 g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes, or 1 kg fresh ripe tomatoes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
a little wine vinegar
1 large handful fresh basil
3 large handfuls Klein River Parmesan, freshly grated
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
Slice the aubergines length ways into 1 cm thick slices, and put to one side.
Add a generous amount of olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and dried oregano and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic has some colour.
Cut the tomatoes up into chunks and add it to the onion, garlic and oregano. Give it a good stir, put a lid on the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, grill the aubergines on both sides until lightly charred.
When the tomato sauce is reduced and sweet, season it with salt, pepper and a little bit of wine vinegar, and add the fresh basil. You can leave the sauce chunky or you can purée it.
Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Cover with a single layer of grilled aubergine slices. Top with more sauce and grated Parmesan. Repeat these layers until you’ve used all of the ingredients, finishing with a sauce layer and another generous sprinkling of Parmesan.
Bake in the preheated oven for half an hour until golden, crisp and bubbly.
It’s best enjoyed straight away, but it can also be served cold.
