Various options for Caponata.

- Caponata alla siciliana | Memorie di Angelina

- Caponata by Antonio Carluccio:
Start by soaking the aubergine cubes in water to make them less oil-absorbent, for up to 10 minutes.
- Capelli con Caponata - Antonio Carluccio:
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 12- 14 minutes or until al dente. Drain and mix with the caponata.

- Roasted Eggplant Caponata Recipe : Ina Garten : Food Network:
jarred roasted red peppers
garlic
pine nuts

- Caponata | Farm Bell Recipes Bake in a 350 degree F (18OC) oven for about 1 1/2 hours - Preserving!

- How to Roast Eggplant Cubes - Easy Healthy Tutorial:
Place the eggplant pieces in a colander and sprinkle with salt, tossing the pieces with your hands as you sprinkle to make sure all the pieces are evenly coated.
Allow the eggplant to stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes till beads of liquid form on the surface.
Rinse the eggplant thoroughly and pat dry.
This salting process helps to remove any bitterness from the eggplant.
Spread out the eggplant cubes on a baking sheet.
Drizzle evenly with olive oil.
Let the eggplant roast for 10 minutes - 220C.
Take the eggplant out and stir it with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Return it to the oven till the eggplant is tender and some of the pieces are caramelized.

- The eggplant caponata | SICILIAN CREATIVE IN THE KITCHEN | Ada Parisi Video!

- How to cook the perfect caponata | Life and style | The Guardian:
courgette
red onion
sultanas or raisins
passata
chocolate

- Caponata San Bernardo: combines eggplant with a sauce of dark chocolate, toasted breadcrumbs, almonds, sugar, vinegar, and sometimes even anchovies!

- Did You Know: Food History - A History of the Sicilian Caponata:

Maqluba. By Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

The name maqluba, which translates literally as "upside-down".
Note:
I prepared this dish conscientiously!
Unfortunately...for those who really love Mediterranean cuisine, not for me.

Serves 4-6
aubergines 2 medium (650g in total), cut into 0.5cm slices
basmati rice 320g
boneless chicken thighs 6-8, skin on, about 800g in total
onion 1 large, peeled and quartered lengthways
black peppercorns 10
bay leaves 2
sunflower oil for frying
cauliflower 1 medium (500g), divided into large florets
melted butter for greasing the pan
medium ripe tomatoes 3-4 (350g in total), cut into 0.5-cm thick slices
garlic 4 large cloves, halved
ground turmeric 1 tsp
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
ground allspice 1 tsp
ground black pepper ¼ tsp
baharat spice mix (shop-bought or make your own) 1 tsp
pine nuts 30g, fried in 15g of ghee or unsalted butter until golden

For the yoghurt with cucumber
mini cucumbers (200g in total)
Greek yoghurt 500g
garlic 1 clove, crushed
cayenne pepper a pinch
dried mint 1 tbsp
fresh mint 2 tbsp, chopped
lemon juice 2 tbsp
salt ½ tsp
ground white pepper ¼ tsp

Place the aubergine slices on a piece of kitchen paper, sprinkle with some salt on both sides and leave for 20 minutes to lose some of the water.

Wash the rice and soak in plenty of cold water and 1 teaspoon of salt for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat up a large saucepan and sear the chicken over a medium–high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown (the chicken skin should produce enough oil to cook it; if needed, add a little sunflower oil).
Add the onion, peppercorns, bay leaves and 900ml of water.
Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the stock and set it aside.
Drain the stock and reserve for later, skimming the fat.

While the chicken is cooking, heat up a saucepan or casserole dish over a medium–high heat, preferably non-stick, that is roughly 24cm in diameter and 12cm high.
Add enough sunflower oil to come about 2cm up the sides of the pan.
When you start seeing little bubbles surfacing, carefully (it may spit!) place some of the cauliflower florets in the oil and fry until golden brown, up to 3 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the first batch onto kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.
Repeat with the remaining cauliflower.

Pat-dry the aubergine with kitchen paper and fry them similarly in batches.

Remove the oil from your pan and wipe it clean.
If it isn’t a non-stick pan line the base with a circle of baking parchment cut to the exact size and brush the sides with some melted butter.
Now you are ready to layer the maqluba.

Start by arranging the slices of tomato in one layer, overlapping, followed by the aubergine slices.
Next, arrange the cauliflower pieces and chicken thighs.
Drain the rice well and spread it over the final layer and scatter the garlic pieces on top.
Measure out 700ml of the reserved chicken stock and mix in all the spices, plus 1 teaspoon of salt.
Pour this over the rice and then gently press it down with your hands making sure all the rice is covered with stock.
Add a little extra stock or water if needed.

Put the pan on a medium heat and bring to a simmer; the stock doesn’t need to simmer vigorously but you do need to make sure that it boils properly before covering the pan with a lid, reducing the heat to low and cooking on low heat for 30 minutes.
Don’t be tempted to uncover the pan; you’ll need to allow the rice to steam properly.
Remove the pot from the heat, take off the lid and quickly place a clean tea towel over the pot, then seal with the lid again.
Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Once ready, remove the lid and place a large round serving plate over the open pan and carefully but quickly invert the pan holding both sides firmly.
Leave the pot on the plate for 2–3 minutes then slowly and carefully lift it off.
Garnish with the pine nuts and serve with the chilled yoghurt with cucumber.

Yoghurt with cucumbers

Peel the cucumbers and cut them into very thin slices.
Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl, add the cucumbers and check the seasoning.
Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

From Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.
The 20 best rice recipes: part 3 | Life and style | The Guardian

Lemon and aubergine risotto.

The 10 best aubergine recipes | Life and style | The Guardian
Smoky aubergine and the strong freshness of lemon and basil are used here to offset the stodgy tendency of some risottos.

Serves 4
2 medium aubergines
130ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g risotto rice
120ml white wine
750ml hot vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
1 lemon, zest grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
20g butter
50g parmesan, grated
10g basil leaves, shredded

1 Start by burning one of the aubergines on a gas hob.
Line the area around the hob head with foil, and put the aubergine directly on to a moderate flame and roast for 12-15 minutes, turning frequently with metal tongs until the flesh is soft and smoky and the skin is burnt all over.
Keep an eye on them the whole time so they don't catch fire.
The aubergine needs to deflate completely and the skin should burn and break.

2 Remove from the heat and make a long cut through the aubergine.
Scoop out the soft flesh while avoiding the skin.
Discard the skin, roughly chop the flesh then set aside.

3 Cut the other aubergine into 1.5cm dice.
Heat 80ml of the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the aubergine dice in batches until golden and crisp.
Transfer to a colander and sprinkle with salt.
Leave to cool.

4 To make the risotto, put the onion and rest of the oil in a heavy-based pan and fry slowly until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.
Turn up the heat and add the rice, stirring to coat it in the oil.
Fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the wine (it should hiss) and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until nearly evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium.

5 Now start adding the hot stock to the rice, a ladle at a time, waiting until each addition has been fully absorbed before adding the next, stirring all the time.
When all the stock has been added, remove the pan from the heat.
Add half the lemon zest, the lemon juice, chopped aubergine flesh, butter, most of the parmesan and ¾ tsp salt.
Stir well, then cover and leave aside for 5 minutes.
Taste and add more salt if you like, plus some black pepper.

5 To serve, spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and sprinkle with the diced aubergine, the remaining parmesan, the basil and the rest of the lemon zest.

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury)

Caponata. By Giorgio Locatelli.

- Caponata d’estate recipe - Telegraph By Giorgio Locatelli!
Serves 4
Summer caponata, made with aubergines, courgettes, celery, fennel, tomatoes, olives, sultanas and pine nuts, when all the vegetables are at their best, is the most famous, outside Sicily.
Often, some chunks of good bread are added, and then the dish is called 'pane a caponata’.
Ingredients
1 large aubergine
100g whole black olives in brine
50g pine nuts
400g country bread, cut into cubes of about 2cm (optional)
olive oil for frying
1 onion, cut into 2cm dice
2 celery stalks, cut into 2cm dice
1 tbsp tomato passata
1 tbsp caster sugar
5 tbsp good-quality red wine vinegar
vegetable oil for deep-frying
half fennel bulb, cut into 2cm dice
1 courgette, cut into 2cm dice
3 fresh plum tomatoes, cut into 2cm dice
a bunch of fresh basil
50g sultanas
about 100ml extra-virgin olive oil

Cut the aubergine into 2cm dice, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain in a colander for at least two hours.
Squeeze lightly to remove excess liquid.

Drain the olives and pat dry.
Then crush them lightly and take out the stones.

Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Lay the pine nuts in a single layer on a baking tray and put into the oven for around eight minutes.
As long as they are in a single layer you don’t need to turn them.
Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn, and when they are golden, take them out and chop them.
Spread the cubes of bread (if using) on a separate baking tray and toast for five to 10 minutes, until golden.
Set the pine nuts and bread aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan.
Add the onion, celery and olives and cook until soft but not coloured, then add the tomato passata.
Mix the sugar and vinegar together in a cup and add to the pan.
Bring to the boil, then take off the heat and transfer the contents of the pan to a big bowl.
Heat about 4cm of vegetable oil in a deep pan, making sure it comes no higher than a third of the way up the pan. (If you have a thermometer, the temperature should be 180C, otherwise, to test if it is hot enough, sprinkle in a little flour or breadcrumbs; if the oil is ready, the flour will fry.)
Add the fennel and deep-fry for one to two minutes, until tender and golden.
Lift out and drain on kitchen paper.
Wait until the oil comes up to the right temperature again, then repeat with the aubergine, followed by the courgette.

Add all the deep-fried vegetables to the bowl containing the onion, celery and olives, together with the diced tomatoes.
Tear the basil leaves and add them to the bowl, along with the sultanas, pine nuts and the extra-virgin olive oil.
Season well, and mix together gently.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm while the vegetables are still warm and leave to infuse for at least two hours at room temperature.

Mix in the toasted bread, if using, and leave to infuse for another 20 minutes before serving.
Don’t put the bowl in the fridge, because it is during the process in which the vegetables steam a little under the clingfilm and then come down in temperature very slowly that 'the savoury merges into the sweet and the sweet into the savoury’.

Note:
In every house and in every restaurant you will find a different version and an opinion.
The truth is, it is made with whatever vegetables the people have, depending on the season, but the principle is always the same: the vegetables are fried, each one separately, to retain the integrity of each flavour, then combined in a sweet and sour sauce.

Caponata from 'River Cottage Veg' .

Caponata from 'River Cottage Veg' | Serious Eats
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's version in River Cottage Veg calls for an ingredient I had never thought to include in my caponatas: chocolate.
Why I picked this recipe: Had to try this chocolate-laced version of my favorite summer spread.
What worked: The ingredient list may be long, but the balance of this caponata is on point.
What didn't: I thought the eggplant could have used a little more time frying.
I ended up needing to add a bit of water to the final simmering stew in order to give it more time on the stovetop.
Suggested tweaks: You could play with the ingredients here if you'd like, but keep in mind that the final dish is supposed to have a bright sweet-and-sour flavor.

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants (about 
1 pound/500g), cut into 
1/2-inch (1-cm) cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 inner celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 large plum or other ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped or a 14-ounce (400g) can plum tomatoes, chopped, any stalky ends and skin removed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated dark chocolate (optional)
1/3 cup (50g) golden raisins
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 ounces (60g) pitted green olives, sliced
A good handful of flat-leaf parsley or mint, chopped, 
to finish

Directions:
1. Put the eggplant cubes into a large colander and sprinkle with 
2 teaspoons of salt.
Toss together and then leave to draw out the juices for about half an hour...let stand at least 2 hours.
Rinse the eggplant and pat/squeeze dry with a kitchen towel.

2. While the eggplant is salting, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan over fairly low heat.
Add the onion, celery, and garlic and fry for about 10 minutes until tender and golden.
Add the tomatoes with their juice and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce a little.

3. Now add the balsamic vinegar; sugar; chocolate, if using; golden raisins; capers; and olives to the pan.
Simmer for another 5 to 
10 minutes, stirring often, then turn off the heat.

4. In a large frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.
OR: olive oil—about 1 cm deep—in a large pot until it reaches 190C, or a breadcrumb dropped in browns immediately.
Work in batches to avoid crowding the eggplant!
When hot, fry the eggplant cubes for about 
5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender.
Drain on kitchen paper.
Tip them into the tomato mixture.

5. Return to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover, and leave until completely cooled.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6. You can serve the caponata right away or leave it in the fridge or 
a very cool place for a day or two to allow the flavors to deepen even further; bring it to room temperature before serving.
Sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley or mint just before serving.

Caponata. By Anna del Conte.

Eggplants in a Sweet-and-Sour Sauce.
Caponata, a Sicilian creation, appears in many different versions throughout the island.
The dish can be garnished with tiny boiled octopus, with a small lobster, with shrimp, or with bottarga (the dried roe of the mullet or tuna fish), a speciality of Sicily and Sardinia

Ingredients
Serves 4
700 gr eggplants
vegetable oil for frying
salt
the inner sticks of 1 celery head, coarse strings removed
7 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, very finely sliced
225 gr canned plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tbsp grated bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
4 tbsp capers, preferably in salt, rinsed
One third cup large green olives, pitted and quartered
2 hard-boiled, free-range eggs

Method
Cut the eggplants into 1-2 cm cubes.
Heat 2-3 cm vegetable oil in a skillet.
When the oil is hot, add a layer of eggplants and fry until golden brown on all sides.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkling each batch lightly with salt; repeat until all the eggplants are cooked.

Wash and dry the celery and cut into pieces the same size as the eggplants.
Fry in the oil in which the eggplants were cooked until golden and crisp; drain on paper towels.

Pour the olive oil into a clean skillet and add the onion.
Saute gently for about 10 minutes until soft.
Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce is cooking, heat the sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan.
Add the chocolate, capers, and olives and simmer the mixture until the chocolate melts.
Add to the tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes longer.

Mix the eggplants and celery into the tomato sauce.
Stir and cook for 20 minutes so the flavours of the ingredients blend together.
Pour the caponata into a serving dish and leave to cool.

Before serving, cover the caponata with the hard-boiled eggs which have been passed through the smallest holes of a food mill, or pushed through a metal strainer.

Caponata is one of the recipes in Anna del Conte's Gastronomy of Italy (Pavilion Books, ISBN: 1862051666, 29.95).

Aubergine.

Steamed Aubergine | Vegetables Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes
Ingredients

2 medium purple aubergines
For the dressing
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet chilli dipping sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 lemon zest and juice of
- 4 spring onions, sliced
- 2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
- 1 large handful fresh coriander, roughly sliced
- 1 large handful fresh basil, roughly sliced
- 1 large handful fresh mint, roughly sliced
- 1 large handful yellow celery leaves
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper

Method
This is a great way to cook aubergines, and probably one that not a lot of people would think of doing. To me, steamed aubergine sounds horrible but, believe me, this recipe is fantastic. Aubergines are usually fried or roasted, which makes them soak up loads of oil, but steaming means they go really soft and tender so that they're lighter to eat – which means you can eat a lot more! All round the world there are so many different varieties of aubergines – long, round, purple, green – so keep your eyes peeled and try cooking them all.

Put some water in a pan and bring it to the boil.
Slice the aubergines in half lengthways and place them in your steamer with the cut side facing up.
Steam them for about 10 minutes – to check whether they're ready, simply squeeze the sides gently and if they're silky soft then they're done.
Remove them from the steamer, place them in a colander and leave to cool.

Now make your dressing by mixing all the ingredients together.
When the aubergines are warm this is the perfect time to flavour them.
Cut them up into rough 2.5cm dice, then dress them and toss.
Serve immediately as a salad, tapas dish or as a vegetable next to any simple cooked fish.
Just really tasty!

Rich lamb stew with aubergine purée (Hunkar begendi).

BBC - Food - Recipes : Rich lamb stew with aubergine purée (Hunkar begendi)
This stew is spicy with a fair bit of tomato in it and cooked until the sauce is thick and unctuous, but what makes it special is the aubergine purée.
Ingredients
For the red pepper paste
660g red peppers
50g tomato purée
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
For the aubergine purée
4 medium aubergines
30g butter
30g plain flour
380ml full-fat milk
75g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lemon, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the lamb stew
4 tbsp olive oil
850g boned lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm/1¼in cubes
1 tbsp red pepper paste
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 green finger chilli, sliced
1 green pepper, seeds removed and sliced
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
200ml hot water
chopped flatleaf parsley, to serve
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
For the red pepper paste, roast the peppers for 20-30 minutes until dark and softened.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film, then leave until cool enough to handle.
Remove the charred skins, stalks and seeds.
In a blender, blitz the red peppers with the remaining ingredients.
Store for up to a week in a jar in the fridge.

Put the aubergines on a baking tray and bake whole for 25 minutes.
When soft, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

For the lamb stew, warm half the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole pan over a high heat and brown the lamb in batches.
When browned, return all the lamb to the pan, add the red pepper and tomato pastes, the remaining olive oil, and the onion, garlic, chilli and green pepper.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook until softened.
Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper, and finally the hot water.
Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat, cover with the lid and allow to cook slowly for 1-1½ hours.

When cool enough to handle, peel the aubergines and mash the flesh with a fork.
In a pan over a medium heat, make a roux; melt the butter, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then add the milk to give a thick white sauce.
Mix in the aubergine, the grated cheese and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
Keep warm.

When the lamb is tender, check the sauce; it should be rich and thick.
If it’s too runny, remove the lamb and reduce the liquid a little, then return the meat to the pan and warm through.
Serve the stew on top of the aubergine purée, scattered with parsley.

PS 111. Hünkar Beğendi / Хюнкяр беенди - Мясо на подушке из печеных баклажан с бешамелью - Кухня турецких тетушек:
- "Дворцовое (для султана) с бешамелью".
- овощи под соусом бешамель в Турции называют бегенди - Beğendi.
- мягкое мясо, поданное на белой овощной подушке из запеченных баклажан с бешамелью и сыром.

Melanzane Parmigiana.

How to cook the perfect aubergine parmigiana | Life and style | The Guardian:
Aubergine parmigiana - the perfect warming dish!

Serves 4-6 (main course/side dish)
1.5kg aubergines
Fine salt
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
800g good tinned tomatoes
150ml red wine
Pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Oil, to fry
200g mozzarella, thinly sliced
125g Parmesan, grated
50g breadcrumbs
Handful of basil leaves

Cut the aubergines lengthways into 5mm slices, sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander to drain for half an hour.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium pan over a medium-high heat and add the garlic. Fry for a minute, then tip in the tomatoes and wine. Bring to the boil, mashing the tomatoes, stir and then turn down the heat slightly. Add a pinch of sugar, a little seasoning and the oregano, and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Put a large pan of water on to boil if you're feeling healthy.
Rinse the aubergines well, and dry thoroughly with kitchen paper.
Pour enough oil into a frying pan to coat the bottom well, and put on a high heat.
Fry half (healthy) or all (not), of the aubergine slices until golden brown on both sides, working in batches.
Put the cooked slices on paper towel to drain.
Blanch the other half, if necessary, in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain well.

Lightly grease a baking dish and spread with a thin layer of tomato sauce, followed by a layer of aubergines (packing them tightly), mozzarella, Parmesan and seasoning.
Add another layer of aubergines, followed by tomato sauce, the cheeses and seasoning.
Repeat this order until you have used up all the aubergine, finishing with a layer of sauce (you may not need all the sauce) – keep a little Parmesan back for the top.

Toss the breadcrumbs with a little olive oil and Parmesan and sprinkle on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and browned, then allow to cool slightly and sprinkle with torn basil before serving.

Melanzane Parmigiana. Parmesan aubergine.

Calories 280 kcal
By The Chiappas:
Ingredients
1kg aubergine, sliced thinly lengthways
fine salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
400g freshly grated mozzarella cheese
100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of gralic, peeled
fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1⁄2 a wine glass of red or white wine
2 x 400g tins good-quality chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 organic vegetable stock cube
Method:
Place a layer of aubergine slices on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and cover with kitchen paper. Continue with another layer on top until you have used up all the aubergine slices, finishing with kitchen paper. Weigh the aubergines down using something heavy, like a saucepan filled with water, and leave for 30 minutes so that the aubergine can release its bitter juices.
While the aubergines are realeasing their bitter juices make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about 4 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic to the onion and cook for 30 seconds; be careful not to let it burn. Pour in the wine, if using, and keep stirring for 2 minutes. The aim is to burn off the alcohol, leaving just a hint of the lovely wine flavour.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, cayenne pepper and stock cube. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to season to taste
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Brush each aubergine slice with a little oil and heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the aubergine, a few slices at a time, until cooked through and golden on both sides. Add a little more oil to the pan if needed. Place the aubergine on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
Cover the bottom of a 30cm x 20cm baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Top with a layer of aubergine and lightly spread with 4 tablespoons of sauce. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat these layers (aubergine, sauce, mozaralla, and Parmesan) until you have used all the aubergine, finishing with a layer of sauce and Parmesan (no mozzarella).
Cook in the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Tip: To make this dish quicker to assemble, we like to prepare our aubergines and fry them the day before as well as the tomato sauce, so that when it comes to cook the dish, all you have to do is layer it up

Caponata by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Caponata recipe | Yotam Ottolenghi | Life and style | The Guardian:
80ml olive oil
80ml sunflower oil
1 large aubergine (350g), cut into 2.5cm dice
120g celery, tender part only, cut on an angle into 2cm-wide slices
1 red pepper, cut into 1.5cm dice
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp harissa paste
150g tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
20g capers
30g green olives, pitted and halved
1½ tsp caster sugar
Salt and black pepper
30g raisins (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp chopped parsley