Eggplant:melanzane al forno

Easy to make, delicious, keeps well and reheats well. It’s also okay cold. Sound like the right kind of dish for this hot weather?

Baked eggplant
serves 4-6

1 medium eggplant or 2 small, sliced, salted and weighted
an egg
milk
seasoned flour
olive oil
1/2 large onion
2 – 3 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper/capsicum, slivered
a handful of basil leaves or a tablespoon of dried basil
salt and pepper

Parmigiano or grana padano, grated (optional)

Start with the eggplant. My eggplant wasn’t bitter, but you never know, so I sliced and salted it 30 minutes before cooking it just in case.

Peel and slice the onion. Core and sliver the red pepper. Wash and slice the tomato.

Make an egg wash by beating an egg with a couple of tablespoons or so of milk, using a fork. I used a duck egg, so it took about 1/2 cup, or 63 ml of milk. In another flat bowl place the seasoned flour or some flour which you then season to your taste. It doesn’t pay to get too wrought up about how much ofthis or that, because every time you do it, it will take a different amount of flour, so you may very likely have to mix a bit more to finish the job.

Heat a wide frying pan over a medium flame, then add olive oil to lightly cover the bottom.

Rinse the eggplant and dry it before dredging it in first the flour, then the eggwash and then the flour again, dropping the dredged slices into the frying pan. Fry both sides to golden and remove to paper towels as they are done. When they are all browned, oil a flat baking dish and start to layer in it first about one-third of the onion and pepper, then a layer of eggplant, then a layer of tomatoes, then a sprinkling of salt, a grind of pepper and some of the basil, continue the layers until you’ve used it all, finishing with some onion and pepper, then the optional cheese on top, of which I added less than an ounce, so it isn’t at all necessary.

Pop into the oven which you have preheated to 165°C or 325°F. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are all softened and molten. Eat it hot or warm or even at room temperature later on.

This is something you can make early in the morning or late at night when the temperature has dropped, and eat when you please. Being leftover doesn’t hurt this dish a bit. I say this as an inveterate leftover avoider. There’s nothing to go “off” so it would make a good picnic dish, I think. What’s happened to the good old picnic? I never seem to hear of great picnics happening anymore. Picnics used to be one of our greatest pleasures; the seeking of a cool and shady place was as nice as the sharing of food under some trees, with relaxed chatter, simple manners and no dishes to wash.

I think we need to get serious about picnics and picnic food again. It will be so much nicer than fast food!