Aubergine and Tomato Bake

I had a dish in a Ticinesi Grotto the other day, layered aubergines and tomatoes, an ideal summer lunch, light and lukewarm. They did it in a pizza oven, which I don’t have, but this is how I tried to recreate it at home. The pictures show the aubergines done in a frying pan; the other day I tried it again and did it under the grill. Both methods work but I marginally prefer the second one. 

 

 

What you need

• 2 – 3 largish aubergines (for a main dish for three to four people; mine was made as a side dish, hence the smaller amounts in the pictures)
• 5-6 tomatoes
• olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
• salt, pepper
• Berbere (Ethiopian spice mix, optional)
• Herbs (lovage, basil, Thai basil, oregano, thyme, sage) chopped
• shavings of parmesan or pecorino romano

What you do

1. Slice the aubergine lengthwise, season with salt and pepper (and Berbere); leave to sit for about 5 to ten minutes as some of the juice of the aubergines will drain off this way.
2. Drizzle generously with olive oil and in a single layer roast in a baking tin or fry in a frying pan until they take on a lightly brownish colour.
3. In the meantime dip the tomatoes into boiling water until the skin splits, then skin and slice (or dice).
4. Coat an ovenproof dish with olive oil, layer it with aubergine slices, then add a layer of tomatoes, with a portion of the garlic and herbs.
5. Add further layers and make sure you end up with aubergines on the top.
6. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the aubergines are quite soft.
7. Cover with the shavings of the parmesan.

This dish can be done in advance and tastes nice hot, lukewarm or cold with some freshly baked baguette.

"Sun-dried tomato" Paste

Here's a quick fix for a sandwich or a crostini topping. This may not be so terribly seasonal as the ingredients can be got anytime in the year, but I usually measure how good a summer was by the number of jars of this stuff we go through.

 What you need:
As I have pointed out elsewhere, I don't normally measure or weigh. Any variation of the list below means either a more garlicky, a more tomatoey or a spicier flavour.

• 300g sun-dried tomatoes in oil with the oil largely drained (especially if it is not extra vergine olive oil)
• 1 cayenne or chili pepper, de-pipped if you don't want it too spicy
• 5 to 7 cloves of garlic

What you do:

1. Precut the tomatoes and add a little olive oil if they are too dry.
2. Finely chop the pepper(s).
3. Peel the garlic (obvious really) and, depending on the efficacy of your blender, cut nor mash
4. Process the ingredients to a consistency of a paste or a fine tartar

Store in a jar in the fridge; this keeps for several weeks, unless, as is usually the case, it is eaten before that...