5 large aubergines, thinly sliced into rounds at least 25 – 30 big slices

14 tomatoes, liquidized

2 tsp garlic, finely minced

1 bullet chilli, finely chopped

¾ cup spring onion, finely chopped

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp Spanish paprika

2 tbs of tomato puree

Juice of half a lemon

1 cup water

1 small bunch dill, finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 small bunch of parsley finely chopped

1 English cucumber finely grated

Ample good quality extra virgin olive oil – at least 250ml

Salt and Black pepper for seasoning

5 – 7 cups of freshly grated parmesan and fresh mozzarella mixed 50/50 ( don’t panic, this is absolutely necessary to make this dish what it is !)

1. Start by placing the slices on a large board and place kitchen towels on top. Place another chopping board on top and place weights such as canned food on top. Leave this for at least 25 minutes to allow all, if any, bitter juices to seep out. Prepare the tomato sauce whilst you are waiting.

2 . Heat around 3 tbs of olive oil in a deep saucepan. Fry the garlic lightly and then add the spring onions, the cucumber, the liquidised tomatoes, the paprika, sugar, bullet chillies, the tomato puree, dried oregano , the parsley and dill and 1 cup water. Let this boil on a very high heat until reduced to a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

3. Heat a large wide frying pan and add at least 6-7 tablespoons of oil, until hot but not smoking. The aubergines will soak up a lot of oil, but you will just have to not worry about that in this dish – it’s part of the deliciousness of it all !! Place enough slices of aubergine, taking care not to overlap and fry lightly, turning over frequently. Shallow fry until slightly golden brown, remove and drain on a kitchen towel. Complete frying all the aubergine slices, topping up on the oil every time you fry the aubergine.

4. Heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

5. Once you have completed all the frying, you can start to assemble the dish. Place 2 tbs of the tomato sauce in the base of a large square dish baking dish. Start with a layer of aubergines, covering all the tomato sauce.

6. Next add 1 whole cup of cheese, covering the aubergines entirely. Next add another layer of tomato sauce spreading evenly over the cheese.

7. Repeat these layers until the tomato sauce and aubergines are finished, with the final layer being a thick layer of cheese and a sprinkling of mixed herbs. Cover gently with foil, trying not to touch the cheese.

8. Place this dish in the middle of the oven and bake covered for 45 minutes, uncover and place under the grill for 6-7 minutes just before serving.

9. Serve with my Sunflower Bloomer Cheesy Bread.