’Nduja parmigiana with shallot & caper salad

Preparation

1. For the Parmigiana

   Step 1

   Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.

   Step 2

   Finely chop the shallots. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until softened but not coloured.

   Step 3

   Meanwhile slice the aubergines lengthways into long 5mm (¼ inch) slices. Put into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss together.

   Step 4

   Add the ’nduja to the shallots, using the back of your spoon to break it down. Once ‘melted’, finely chop the garlic cloves and finely slice the basil stalks. Add both to the pan and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.

   Step 5

   Tip in the plum tomatoes. Half-fill one of the tins with water and add this too. Roughly break up the tomatoes with your spoon, then leave the sauce to slowly cook away for 30 minutes.

   Step 6

   Meanwhile, pour away any liquid that has collected at the bottom of the aubergine bowl, then toss the aubergines with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

   Step 7

   Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the aubergine slices in batches until golden and charred on both sides; this will take around 5 minutes for each batch. Transfer to a plate and continue until all the aubergine slices have been fried.

   Step 8

   Returning to the sauce, season it to taste, adding a pinch of sugar if needed. Take off the heat. Pick the basil leaves.

   Step 9

   Assembly time. I like to do four layers. Spread a spoonful of the tomato sauce across the bottom of a 20 × 30cm (8 × 12 inch) baking dish. Top with a layer of aubergine slices, using about a quarter of them, followed by about a quarter of the remaining sauce. Scatter over about a quarter of the basil leaves and tear over about a quarter of the mozzarella. Grate a layer of parmesan over the top, using a bit less than a quarter here. Repeat this layering three more times, making the last layer of parmesan really thick – this will give you a nice golden crust when baked.

   Step 10

   Drizzle with a little olive oil, then bake for 25–30 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling around the sides.

   Step 11

   Leave to cool for 5 minutes (an unbearable wait) before digging in. Serve with the Shallot & Caper Salad (below). Mind-blowing.

2. For the Caper Salad

   Step 12

   Very finely chop the shallot. Scrape into a salad bowl. Add the mustard, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Whisk together with a fork to create a dressing. Chop the capers and finely chop the parsley (stalks and all). Add these to the dressing, then stir and season to taste, adding a pinch of sugar if needed. You want the dressing to be quite tangy to cut through the richness of the Parmigiana.

   Step 13

   Roughly tear the salad leaves. Chop the cucumber. Add these to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Serve alongside the ’Nduja Parmigiana.