Courgette & Aubergine Parmigiana And Olive Crostini With Dessert

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Boil half a kettle

Trim the green stalk[s] off your aubergine[s] and slice lengthways into 6 slices per aubergine

Top, tail and slice your courgette[s] lengthways into 4 slices per courgette

Add your sliced aubergine and courgette to a baking paper-lined baking tray (or two!) with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper

Put the tray[s] in the oven for 20 min or until the veg are golden – these are your roasted veg

While the veg are roasting, peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Pick your basil leaves from their stems, reserve the stems

Heat a small pot over a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and once hot, add the chopped garlic with your dried oregano and cook for 1 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add your chopped tomatoes with your vegetable stock mix, 100ml [130ml] [170ml] boiled water and the reserved basil stems

Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8-10 min or until cooked through and thickened, once thickened, set aside off the heat – this is your tomato sauce

Drain your mozzarella, then pat and squeeze as much liquid out as you can with kitchen paper

Tear the drained mozzarella into rough, bite-sized pieces

Slice your ciabatta[s] into half, then quarters

Wash your salad, then pat it dry with kitchen paper

Once the veg is golden, layer some of the roasted veg over the bottom of an oven-proof dish (reserve the baking tray!) with some basil leaves and top with some of the tomato sauce (discard the basil stems!) then repeat this until you end up with a final layer of tomato sauce

Put the dish in the oven for an initial 10 min or until piping hot and bubbling – this is your parmigiana

Once the parmigiana has had 10 min, remove the dish from the oven and top with the torn mozzarella

Return the dish to the oven for 6-8 min or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden – this is your courgette & aubergine parmigiana

While the parmigiana is cooking, add the sliced ciabatta to the reserved baking tray with a generous drizzle of olive oil and put the tray in the oven for 6-8 min or until golden and crisp – this is your crostini

Once the parmigiana is ready, set aside for 2-3 min to let the flavours develop