Aubergine parmigiana with ham
Prep time: 1 hr 45 minsTotal time: 
Aubergine parmigiana with ham
Melanzane alla parmigiana is a classic Italian bake and makes for a rustic starter. Salting the aubergines helps to firm the flesh, making them less oily when fried
Prep time: 1 hr 45 minsTotal time: 
Franco's
This legendary Italian institution has been a fixture of London’s St James’s area since 1945 – and is one of the capital’s oldest Italian restaurant still in business. Head chef Stefano Turconi curates a popular all-day service with a menu that’s filled with the best Italian produce, from the double espressos with breakfast to the lobster linguine at dinner.
Franco's
This legendary Italian institution has been a fixture of London’s St James’s area since 1945 – and is one of the capital’s oldest Italian restaurant still in business. Head chef Stefano Turconi curates a popular all-day service with a menu that’s filled with the best Italian produce, from the double espressos with breakfast to the lobster linguine at dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 aubergines (about 1kg)
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 litre vegetable or sunflower oil
- 150g plain flour
- 700g tomato passata
- 80g parmesan, grated
- 250g mozzarella, drained and chopped (drained weight)
- 1 x 30g pack basil, leaves picked
- 250g thin sliced honey roast ham, chopped
Step by step
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Remove the stems from the aubergines, then cut lengthways into 1cm-thick slices. Lay the slices on two large trays, layering them up, sprinkling with salt in-between and on top of the final layer. Set aside for 45 minutes so that they lose moisture and bitterness. Rinse and dry with kitchen paper.
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Pour the oil into a deep frying pan and heat to 170°C on a thermometer. Spread the flour on a lipped plate, then coat each aubergine slice in the flour, shaking off the excess. In batches, lower the aubergine slices into the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes, or until golden, turning them occasionally. Carefully remove to a kitchen-paper-lined tray.
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Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. In a 20cm x 30cm oven dish, arrange a layer of aubergine slices to cover the base. Spoon over one third of the passata and one third each of the parmesan, mozzarella and basil leaves. Scatter over half the ham. Repeat the layers; reserve the final third of basil for serving, and there shouldn’t be any ham on the top layer.
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Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until deeply golden. Leave to stand for 20 minutes. Scatter over the reserved basil, cut into squares and serve.
