Lasagne parmigiane

Lasagne are a distinctive trait of Italian cuisine. If abroad we were not to be known as 'maccheroni' or 'pizza, mafia, mandolino' we would probably be nicknamed lasagne and fettuccine. Just think of a holiday, any Italian family has its typical traditional recipe handed down for generations with some variations that make any dish asbsolutely unique. My granny has at least three recipes, the classical, meat based, and two elaborated upon request: with mushrooms and with artichokes. When I was not a vegetarian I elaborated several recipes, from the one with shrimps to the one with porcini mushrooms and Italian 'salsiccia', or with radicchio and South Tyrol speck. Actually it's a versatile and can be cooked in many vegetarian variations, among which one that mix three traditional dishes, lasagne, aubergines parmigiane and the 'pasta alla norma' 

Cherry tomatoes
Sfoglia 5
Rounded aubergines/eggplants fried
Dried tomatoes

Onion

Fresh basil

Chilli
Salt

(Ricotta salata al forno)

(Mozzarella)

Extra virgin PDO olive oil

Prepare a light tomato sauce browning a mince of onion and chilli in oil, add the cherry tomatoes chopped in three or four, cook at high heat for a few minutes, when almost cooked, add fresh basil. On a side wash and slice (less than 1 cm) the aubergines, put on a tray, salt and cover with a heavy something (e.g. a pot full of water) for at least one hour, squeeze, dry on a cloth and deep fry in olive oil, dry on paper, rpughly chop and add to the sauce. On a side prepare the sfoglia or buy the ready to use in pasta shops and supermakets asking for the 'sfoglia grossa', not the thin one.  Oil a baking tray, pour the sauce, add pasta, then sauce. If using ricotta salata al forno and mozzarella, grate the ricotta, chop the mozzarella in cubes and add a layer of cheese. Then a layer of sfoglia, one of sauce, eventually one of cheese, for approx. 3, 5 layers of sfoglia, the latter being of sfoglia and a dipper of sauce and some fresh cherry tomatoes chopped in two, three, basil leafes and some piece of aubergine. Bake in the warm oven (400°F/200°C) for about 30'.

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