Meal Two: A classic Parmigiana

For the sauce:

• 1 green chilli (sliced, with the seeds left in)
• 1 large banana shallot (peeled and sliced)
• 2 large garlic cloves (peeled and sliced)
• 8 large blushing beef tomatoes (sliced into quarters)
• 1 can of good quality Italian chopped tomatoes
• Drizzle of good olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

1. In a large sauce pan add a drizzle of cold pressed olive oil, once the olive oil has lightly warmed through add your green chilli, shallot and garlic with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper as this helps to lay a base seasoning and builds the foundations of a great sauce.
2. Once your base is soft, add a touch of olive oil and add your tomatoes, by adding your tomatoes now, you deglaze the bottom of the pan and impart all of the cooked on flavour into you sauce.
3. Increase the heat to gently break down your tomatoes, then add a can of chopped Italian tomatoes and cook them out. Add another dash of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, now allow your sauce to tick over.
4. You can add the vines from the tomatoes into the sauce, which gives the sauce a beautiful green house flavour and injection.
5. Turn your sauce and allow the flavours to merge and relax, this helps to impart greater depths into your sauce.

For your peppers:

1. Quickly wash your peppers under cold running water and place them directly onto the gas burner, as this burns and char’s the outside of the pepper effectively, whilst steaming the inside of the pepper and cooking them in their own juices. This helps to enhance their subtle flavour with a touch of smokiness.
2. Once charred and taken to smokey heaven, remove them off the gas burner and wrap them up in cling film. This again helps to steam the peppers and cook them further.
3. Leave for around 10-15 minutes, then depending on your taste, peel off the skin or if like me, you prefer some texture leave the skin on. Deseed and cut the peppers into quarters as you want a piece of charred pepper in every bite.

For your Aubergine and courgettes:

1. Using a sharp knife slice your aubergines length ways, once sliced salt them, as this helps to remove any excess moisture from your aubergine but also, helps to firm up the texture of the aubergines.
2. Leave the salt on for 10-15 minutes until you see the liquid bubbles coming up through the skin of the aubergines, then wash under cold running water and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
3. Place your aubergines onto a lightly oiled baking tray and bake till just al dente and lightly golden, as the aubergine will carry on cooking during the baking of the Parmigiana.
4. Slice your washed courgettes on the angle and re-peat what you did with the aubergines, as this again makes them nuttier.

Assemble in a fired earth tray, place a layer of your aubergines down, then add a layer of seasoning, then top with your courgettes and lastly you’re charred grilled peppers. Now top the vegetables with your beautiful tomato sauce from earlier. Repeat until all of the vegetables are used up (this normally takes two layers)

Top the parmigiana with any left over sauce and bake in the oven at gas mark 5 for about an hour to an hour and a half so that the aubergines are cooked and al dente and a paring knife slides through them.

Now top with sliced mozzarella and little grating of veggie parmesan cheese and place into the oven on gas mark 8 to get some crunch and colour to make the cheese go all creamy and crunchy.