Lasagne with eggplant and olive oil

Lasagne is great for a dinner with friends.

My personal favorite lasagne recipe is the slightly modified recipe from Mamma Agata, who makes an excellent lasagne without lasagne sheets but with eggplant instead.

Since most of my friends prefer minced beef in their lasagne, I have adapted Mamma Agata's eggplant lasagne recipe a little. changed. You can find the original recipe in her cookbook. There you will find other delicious Italian recipes from the Amalfi Coast ;-)

Lasagne with eggplant and olive oil - recipe a la Miri

In addition to the minced meat, I also use lasagne sheets to give the dish more consistency. My beloved béchamel sauce is also a must here.

Now let's get started. Since I like to invite lots of friends, the ingredients are calculated for 10 people. I therefore recommend using a large baking tray or two medium-sized ones.

Ingredients for the lasagne with eggplant and olive oil (10 people):

• 1 kg minced beef
• 1 l bottle of tomato sauce
• 2 packs of lasagne sheets
• 8 eggplants
• Sea salt
• 1 l peanut or vegetable oil for frying (not olive oil)
• 100 g wheat flour (type 405 or Italian flour tipo 00)
• 500 g mozzarella
• 300 g freshly grated parmesan
• 30 fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil

Ingredients for the bechamel sauce:

• 150 g flour
• 150 g butter
• Pepper & salt
• Nutmeg
• 1.5 l milk

Preparation of the lasagne with eggplant and olive oil:

First, wash the eggplant and remove the stalk. Peel the skin lengthways a little with a vegetable peeler. Then cut the flesh lengthways into strips about 1-2 cm thick. Not too thin, as they lose volume when cooked. Now sprinkle the eggplant strips with sea salt. Leave to rest for about 30 minutes to remove the bitter substances and excess water from the flesh. Then layer 4 strips on top of each other and gently squeeze. Please do not rinse off the salt, otherwise the eggplant will absorb water again. Put the flour on a plate and roll the eggplant strips in it. Work as quickly as possible so that too much flour does not stick to the flesh. Now fry the strips until golden brown. Then remove from the hot oil and let them drain on kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 150°C. In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into thin slices. The next steps are now crucial. Be generous with all the ingredients, except the tomato sauce. Too much sauce makes the lasagne soggy. The following order should be observed when layering the ingredients in the casserole dish:

1. a little tomato sauce
2. two layers of eggplant
3. parmesan cheese
4. mozzarella
5. fresh basil leaves
6. lasagne sheets
7. tomato sauce
8. bechamel sauce

It is best to repeat this process twice and finish with a layer of lasagne sheets and bechamel sauce. Finally, sprinkle a generous portion of parmesan cheese on the bechamel sauce. This ensures a nice brown and crispy surface. Bake the lasagne in a hot oven for about 1 hour. Then reduce the heat and leave to rest for about 10 minutes with the oven door slightly open. Remove from the oven and leave to rest at room temperature for at least another 30-40 minutes before serving so that the flavor can develop optimally. When serving, it is best to use an olive oil with an intense flavor. The olive oil Intenso from Brist or Buza from Baioco are suitable for this. The lasagne tastes best the next day. Simply reheat it and serve with fresh bread and olive oil. Simply delicious! I personally like to enjoy a strong red wine with lasagne, as it goes perfectly with the intense flavor of the lasagne.

MASINO wishes you a good appetite / Bon Appetit / Dobar Tek