Egg­plant, Chick­pea and Toma­to Casserole

Egg­plant, Chick­pea and Toma­to Casserole

(serves about 6 as side dish)

4 medi­um egg­plants, cut in 1/4 inch slices

1/2 cup olive oil (add more if and as needed)

1 soup-size tin chickpeas

1 large tin plum tomatoes

2 medi­um white onions, sliced thin

6 cloves gar­lic, minced

3 balls buf­fa­lo moz­zarel­la cheese, torn into bite-sized pieces

sprin­kling Parme­san or Pecori­no cheese

sea salt and fresh black pepper

hand­ful chopped flat-leaf parsley

With all egg­plants sliced and ready, heat olive oil in a large shal­low fry­ing pan.  In a series of sin­gle lay­ers, fry egg­plant slices until soft.  Set aside on paper towels.

Fry sliced onions in the left­over oil until soft, then add gar­lic.  Do not burn the garlic.

When all egg­plant and onions and gar­lic are fried, cov­er the bot­tom of a 9x13 casse­role dish with a lay­er of egg­plant, then spread the onions and gar­lic over them.  Add anoth­er lay­er of egg­plant and scat­ter over half the plum toma­toes, squeez­ing them into small­ish pieces as you take them out of the tin.  Add salt and fresh pep­per.  Add the chick­peas.  Add half the cheese, then fin­ish with a lay­er of egg­plant and top with the rest of the toma­toes and scat­ter the remain­ing cheese on top.  Sea­son sauce to taste and stir in half the parsley.

Cov­er with foil and bake at 425F/220C for 30 min­utes, or sim­mer on stove­top for 30 min­utes.  Serve hot or warm with remain­ing pars­ley on top.

This dish can also be assem­bled in the skil­let in which you cook the egg­plants.  After you’ve fried all the egg­plants, drain the extra olive oil from them back into the skil­let and fry the onions and gar­lic.  Place the egg­plants back in, along with the toma­toes, chick­peas, salt and pep­per and half the pars­ley.  Sim­ply sim­mer until the toma­toes are cooked, and add cheese and remain­ing pars­ley just before you’re ready to serve.