Wash the aubergines, cut of the ends and cut them into slices roughly ½ cm thick; put them in a colander, in layers, and sprinkle a little coarse salt (approx. 1 tablespoon) on each layer. Place a plate on top and leave for about half an hour to extract the bitter water content. Then rinse the slices, one at a time, with cold water and pat them dry with a cloth or kitchen paper. Put the flour on a plate and use it to coat the slices of aubergine; shake them gently to eliminate any excess flour and then fry them, in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, in hot olive oil. When they’re golden brown on both sides, remove them from the oil and place them on absorbent paper to dry. In the meanwhile, pour 4 tablespoons of Pappa al Pomodoro into the bottom of a baking dish and spread it out using the back of a spoon. Cover with a layer of fried aubergine slices, without overlapping them, then another layer of Pappa al Pomodoro and crumble a slice of pecorino on top. Continue in the same way until you have used all the slices of aubergine; finish off with a layer of Pappa, sprinkle the remaining pecorino over the surface and bake in a preheated oven, at 200 °C, for roughly 20 minutes. Before serving your Parmigiana, leave it to cool down for a quarter of an hour and then garnish with the basil leaves.

Note: If you prefer to make your own Pappa al Pomodoro, taking advantage of the summer season, when aubergines and tomatoes are at the height of their beauty (and... flavour!), these are the ingredients and quantities required for the recipe above: 400 g stale homemade bread – 700 g ripe tomatoes – 10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – 10 basil leaves – 1 l vegetable broth.

For the preparation see Pappa al Pomodoro