Melanzaine

Serves 6 excellent dish that freezes really well.

Melanzaine

Serves 6 

Ingredients 

2 large aubergines 

2 courgettes 

2 tins of tomatoes (you can also use fresh and that’s lovely) 

Basil /dried or fresh

A little chilli 

Garlic 

Mozzarella 

Cheddar cheese 

Onions 

Salt and pepper 

2 teaspoons of sugar 

Tomato puree 

Equipment

Spoon 

Large frying pan 

Large roasting dish 

Method

1: Put the oven on to heat

Fry off garlic and onions in a large pot on the hob with some salt and pepper. 

Once they are soft add in the tomatoes and chilli and sugar, and leave to simmer. You can then add a table spoon of tomato puree, you can get this in a tin, I recommend the tube, its easier to reuse.  

You can add mushrooms, carrots and some other veg to this dish. 

2:  Cut the aubergines and courgettes in to thin rings and place them into a roasting dish. 

3: Put the dish in an very hot oven 220 

Take out after about 15-20 minutes or until soft. The courgettes will cook faster than the aubergines.  Adding the aubergines before they are fully cooked is a big mistake.  They are really tasty but horrible if uncooked in this dish. 

You can use a lasagne dish to cook this in the oven. 

3: Blend the sauce until smooth when the sauce is blended add the cut basil, if you cook basil too long when the sauce is boiling it will not have so much flavour.  

4: Layer the aubergines and courgette on the bottom; place the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese and repeat until the dish is full. 

5: Grate cheddar cheese on to the top; this gives you a lovely golden top.  

6: Put in a hot over for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  

Serve with salad and some nice Italian bread, its lush 

This dish freezes really well; you can portion it off and have another day, if any survives of course.