narrative – photography: Antonia Kati – journalist, food photographer & food stylist
Ingredients (6 people)
- 5-6 round eggplants (you can also use white eggplants or half round, half white eggplants)
- 350 g grated feta cheese
- 150 g grated San Michali cheese
- 5-6 ripe fresh tomatoes or a can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
- A bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
- ½ bunch of basil (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp of sugar (optional)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Wash the eggplants, slice them, add salt and place in a strainer for approximately 30 minutes. Then wash, pat them dry and either fry them in plenty of olive oil, or arrange them on a baking pan lined with wax paper and brushed with some olive oil and bake them in the oven.
In the meantime, start preparing the sauce: cut the tomatoes in halves, grate them on the grater, place them in a small pot, add some olive oil and the garlic and season with salt and pepper. You can also add the sugar if you wish. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes and add the finely chopped herbs. Preheat the oven at 200°C. Add some of the sauce in a baking pan and arrange half of the sliced eggplants in a layer. Add some more sauce on top of the first layer and sprinkle with half of the grated feta and San Michali cheese quantity.
Arrange another layer of eggplants and repeat the same process with the sauce and the grated cheese. Bake at 200°C for approximately 30 minutes. Before you serve, garnish with some fresh basil leaves if you wish.
