Method

• 1.
  Put the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle over 1 tsp salt flakes and shake it a little so the salt coats most of the slices. Place the colander either in the sink or set over a bowl and leave for 25 minutes so the eggplants release their liquid.
• 2.
  Heat the oil in a frypan over a gentle heat. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for 2 minutes to infuse the oil. Tip in the tinned tomatoes and vinegar, mix to combine then turn up the heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about half.
• 3.
  Shake the eggplant in the colander, then pat dry with paper towel. Heat a little oil in a separate large frypan. Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices for a couple of minutes on each side until all the rounds are cooked. This may take up to 30 minutes. Set cooked eggplant aside.
• 4.
  Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
• 5.
  Once tomato sauce has reduced, lightly oil an ovenproof dish. Cover the base of the dish with a layer of eggplant slices, overlapping slightly to create a full layer.
• 6.
  Pour over one-third of the tomato sauce, depending on the size of your dish (if you’ve used half the eggplant to create the base layer, then use half the sauce). Follow with one-third of the mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat layers a further one or two times until everything is used up.
• 7.
  I like the softness of this parmigiana, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up with a crunchier topping. To make the topping, if using, combine the breadcrumbs with the parmesan, then scatter over the parmigiana just before baking.
• 8.
  Bake for 35-45 minutes until parmigiana is bubbling and the cheese is golden.