Aubergine, Chilli & Chicken Parmigiana

Parmigiana is an Italian dish made with shallow fried aubergines, layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. Aubergine parmigiana was the earliest version, however nowadays there are many variations of the dish such as chicken or veal and some also involved coating the filling in breadcrumbs. Some recipes use hard grated cheese whilst others use soft cheese like mozzarella. Alternatively, some recipes use a combination of both. 

I love this dish. It is simple to make, yet so rich in flavour. Whoever said vegetarian food was boring and tasteless was so wrong. Only until recently, I used to make the standard version of this, using aubergines topped with tomato sauce and cheese. However, I recently came across the recommendation of adding chilli and chicken to the dish to add some extra flavour. I tried it out, and was delighted with the result! 

I sometimes make this dish as a main meal for dinner (and usual take left overs to work). However, more often than not, I make this dish as a starter when entertaining guests. Just like the baked gnocchi I made earlier this week, it's easy to prepare earlier on during the day and then let bake whilst seated with your dinner guests. 

                                                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
Ingredients:

- 1 large aubergine, sliced
- sea salt, ground
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g grated mozzarella cheese
- 5 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
- 300g cooked chicken breast, torn
- salt & pepper

For the tomato sauce:- 
- 1 tbsp olive oil 
- 1 garlic clove, crushed 
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
- 400 g can plum tomatoes 
- handful of basil, chopped 

Method: 

Begin by slicing the aubergine and sprinkling with ground sea salt. 

Make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the garlic, onion and chilli and fry for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes and basil, bring to the boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. 

Brush the aubergines with the oil on each side while the sauce is simmering. Heat a griddle pan until hot and coo the aubergine slices for 2 minutes on each side until tender and browned. 

Spoon a little of the tomato sauce into an ovenproof dish, layer over half the aubergines followed by half the chicken. Scatter over half the mozzarella and Parmesan and season well. Repeat layering with the remaining ingredients, finishing with a scattering of the cheeses. 

Place in a preheated oven, 200 degrees, for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Recommendation: Serve with crusty bread