Follow these tips for an unforgettable second course:

• Wash, dry and peel the aubergines.
• Cut them into 2 or 3mm lengthwise slices and put them into a container while sprinkling them layer by layer with some coarse salt to have them lose their bitter vegetation water.
• Cover with a plate and put a weight on it. Leave them like that for at least 30 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce by adding a little oil and some peeled tomatoes into a saucepan and cook on low heat and with the lid on for about half an hour.
• Rinse the aubergines to remove the salt and dry them very well with paper towels. Flour the slices one by one and use a pan with high sides to fry them in plenty of hot peanut oil.
• Drain from the oil and let them dry on paper towels.
• Now, take a baking pan and make a small layer of the tomato sauce at the base. Arrange a layer of fried aubergines on the sauce, then sprinkle again with some sauce, some grated Parmesan cheese and a little diced mozzarella.
• Top with another layer of aubergines and again cover with parmesan cheese, mozzarella and sauce and so on until the ingredients are used up. Finish up with a layer of tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
• Bake the pan at 200°C for 30 minutes, making the surface au gratin for the last 5 minutes of cooking by setting the grill mode on your oven.
• Remove the Parmigiana from the oven and let it cool before completing it by spreading some basil leaves on its surface.

And hey presto! …you just need to serve it.