Eat More Vege – Melanzane

This post was inspired by the River Cottage Vege series. They created this dish in one of the episodes but unfortunately I can’t remember which. Anyway, melanzane is the vege version of lasagne but instead of using pasta sheets, we use aubergines. Layer it like how you would a lasagne and then pile on the cheese.

Although this dish was smashingly delish, it might be verging on aubergine overload, maybe because I made a big portion for my small family and was picking off leftovers after that. This theme week has been a treat. Vegetables are really essential and I can’t imagine any of my meals without them. Like Hugh FW, it was not a deprivation but rather an appreciation for something that so often becomes a compliment to mains. Let’s all eat more vege and support sustainable food source.

MELANZANE RECIPE

Ingredients;

2 medium aubergines, sliced into thick rounds
Marinara sauce
Mozarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
Basil leaves
Salt
Black Pepper
Oregano
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil

Steps;

1. Start by prepping the aubergines. Salt the aubergine slices on both sides. Place them in a colander. The colander has be in a bowl. Layer the salted aubergines till it’s full in the colander. Place a weight on top. Leave it for about 30 mins.
2. After 30 mins, discard the water/ moisture collected in the bowl. Pat all the aubergine slices dry with paper towels. Heat a frying pan with olive oil and shallow fry the aubergines in slices. Drain on kitchen paper.
3. In an oven-proof dish, spread a layer of marinara sauce. Layer the aubergines next. Spread with mozarella cheese and parmesan on top and then some basil leaves. Sprinkle some black pepper and oregano as well.
4. Repeat process till you’ve used up your aubergines. For the top, final layer, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, oregano and black pepper together. Sprinkle this mix on top to cover.
5. Bake in a 200C pre-heated oven for 30 mins.

Enjoy!