BAKED EGGPLANT WITH PEPPERS & MOZZARELLA
Julie & Ilaria Biuso

Serves
6Ingredients
olive oil | |
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed | |
400g can crushed Italian tomatoes | |
½ teaspoon salt | |
pinch raw sugar to sweeten (optional) | |
freshly ground black pepper to taste | |
2 medium-large eggplants | |
flaky sea salt | |
2 large red peppers/capsicums | |
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese | |
½ cup coarse sourdough breadcrumbs or panko crumbs | |
½ cup basil leaves | |
125g ball mozzarella cheese, sliced |
Instructions
1. | Preheat the oven to 200°C. |
2. | Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan with the garlic. |
3. | Cook gently until garlic just turns golden. |
4. | Add tomatoes, salt, sugar (if using) and black pepper. |
5. | Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes until pulpy, stirring often. |
6. | Cut eggplants lengthways into long thin slices. |
7. | Lightly brush slices on both sides with olive oil and cook on a preheated barbecue hot plate or in a hot ridged grill pan until tender and golden on both sides. |
8. | Transfer to a plate as they are done and sprinkle with sea salt. |
9. | Repeat with remaining slices. |
10. | Cook peppers directly over a gas flame until blackened, turning with tongs. |
11. | Alternatively, cook them in the flames of a barbecue, or on the rack in the preheated oven, turning them as they blacken (they’ll take around 20 minutes in an oven). |
12. | When all the outer skin is charred, transfer to a plate, drape with paper towels and leave until cool, then peel off blackened skins, rinsing fingers, but not the peppers or you’ll wash off gorgeous flavour. |
13. | Cut peppers in half, reserving juices, remove cores and seeds and cut flesh into strips, then cut strips in half. |
14. | Put a layer of eggplant in a shallow ovenproof dish (approx 2 litre capacity). |
15. | Scatter over some red pepper and top with a few blobs of sauce (use about half the sauce in layering, reserving the remainder for the top of the dish), a scattering of parmesan (likewise with the parmesan – use half in layering and save half for the top), a smattering of crumbs and a few basil leaves, a few pinches of salt and a little grind of pepper, and a portion of the mozzarella. |
16. | Add any pepper juices. |
17. | Repeat the layers until everything is used up, finishing with a good covering of sauce. |
18. | Scatter with remaining parmesan. |
19. | Bake gratin for 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden on top. |
20. | Serve hot, while the mozzarella is melting and stretchy, or at room temperature (the cheese will still be supple but not stretchy). |
21. | Leftovers, should there be any, reheat well in a microwave. |
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