Aubergine Parmigiana: Properly Layered, Properly Good

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Aubergine parmigiana is one of those dishes that rewards you for slowing down. It is not a weeknight throw-together; it asks for an unhurried afternoon, a bit of frying, and a willingness to build it layer by layer. But what you get back is a deep, savoury, almost meaty bake that converts even the most committed aubergine sceptic. My small twist is a crisp breadcrumb top — a nod to the Sicilian habit of finishing the dish gratinata — which gives a contrast in texture that lifts the whole thing.

Miso-Glazed Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku)

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0000

There is a particular kind of magic in nasu dengaku, the Japanese dish of grilled aubergine lacquered with sweet miso. The aubergine, so often dense and squeaky when undercooked, turns meltingly soft and creamy, while the glaze caramelises into a glossy, savoury-sweet crust that smells faintly of toffee and the sea. My one small twist is to char the cut faces hard in a dry pan before the glaze goes on, so the dish carries a layer of smoky bitterness underneath all that sweetness. It takes barely half an hour and feels like something you would be charged a small fortune for in a good izakaya.

Aubergine - Tag - vo.rs

Aubergine Parmigiana: Properly Layered, Properly Good

Miso-Glazed Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku)