Eggplant parmigiana bake

For my family, this was a lovely spring meal, even for the non-eggplant liking person among us (no names will be mentioned!). 

Once cooked, the eggplant becomes so soft and squishy. And the juices, combined with the tomato sauce and bechamel sauce is very tasty. For something different, I sprinkled the top with cheese combined with hazelnut meal, instead of breadcrumbs. The taste of the hazelnuts gave a bit of nutty sweetness to the dish, which I really liked. I grilled the top a little to make the cheese/hazelnut mix crunchy.

This dish would freeze very well, either cooked or uncooked. You could make a double batch, and freeze one for later. 

I think this eggplant parmigiana  makes a lovely, tasty meal. Serve it with a fresh garden salad and some crusty bread to mop us the lovely sauce.

What you'll need

Serves 4 to 6 people

4 medium-sized eggplant, thinly sliced

1/2 cup olive oil

For the tomato sauce

500g can chopped tomatoes

1 cup water

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup de-seeded olives, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons white sugar

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

For the bechamel sauce

100g butter

100g plain flour

2 1/2 cups milk

Salt and pepper

For the topping

250g grated cheese

1 cup hazelnut meal

Chopped parsley

What to do

First, make the tomato sauce.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic until transparent and soft. Add all the other ingredients and stir well. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to low, place the lid on the saucepan and cook for 30 minutes. Season to taste.

Next, grill the eggplant. Heat the grill of your oven.

On a large, lined oven tray, place the eggplant slices. Brush each with some olive oil. Grill both sides of the eggplant until they are colouring slightly and are soft and 'floppy.' You may need to do this in two or three batches. Set aside on a plate until you need it.

Now, make the bechamel sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once it is melted and bubbly, sprinkle in the flour and stir well to make a roux - a paste-like mixture. Cook for one minute, stirring continuously. Now, pour in the milk, and with a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture starts to thicken. This will take about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, but is still runny enough to run from the back of the spoon, remove from the heat. If it is too thick and gluggy, you can add a little warm water and stir until the sauce thins out a little. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Build the eggplant bake.

In a large baking dish, place enough tomato sauce to make a thin layer on the bottom of the dish. Place a layer of eggplant over the top. Spoon over some tomato sauce, to well-cover the eggplant. Place enough layer of eggplant, then cover with bechamel sauce. Continue this pattern until you run out of ingredients.  The final layer should be eggplant, followed by bechamel.

Combine the cheese and  hazelnut meal in a bowl. Sprinkle the mix evenly over the bechamel sauce. Cover the dish with foil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the dish is bubbling. Remove the foil and grill the top of the bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese/hazelnut mix if brown and slightly crunchy.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving to the table.