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Stuffed concertina brinjals with crumbs and herbs

When I see shiny purple brinjals, I immediately think of an Italian food market!

Makes 4 generous servings • Preparation: 40 minutes • Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes • Oven temperature: 180°C

• 4 medium-sized brinjals
• 30ml salt
• 500g mince
• 1 small onion, grated
• 125ml dry breadcrumbs
• 80ml Parmesan
• 15ml chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 5ml dried basil
• 3 anchovies, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 bay leaves, chopped
• 500ml pomodoro sauce
• 500ml white sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 125ml breadcrumbs
• 125ml extra Parmesan
• a handful fresh basil, to garnish

1 Create the concertina effect by making incisions 1cm apart in each brinjal without cutting right through. Season all over with ground salt and allow to sweat for about 15 minutes in a colander.

2 Meanwhile, combine the mince with the onion, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, basil, anchovies, egg and bay leaf until just mixed. The Parmesan and anchovies are salty enough, so don’t add extra salt.

3 Preheat the oven. Pat the brinjals dry and wipe off any excess salt. Now fill the incisions in the brinjal with the mince.

4 Pour the tomato sauce into an ovenproof dish and arrange the brinjals on top. Spoon the white sauce over and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and extra Parmesan. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour.

5 Remove the lid or foil and roast for another 15 minutes, until the tops are golden-brown. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.

Mince with bravas tomato sauce and chorizo

My Spanish version of an Italian Bolognese is