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1
Drain the whole tomatoes in a colander until all that remains are the tomatoes.
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2
Place tomatoes in a bowl, add the salt and puree with a hand blender.
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3
Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
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4
Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onions.
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5
As soon as the first piece begins to brown, add in the pureed tomatoes and bring to a boil.
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6
When the sauce comes to a boil reduce the heat to a low flame and let it cook for 25 minutes slightly covered.
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7
Make sure to stir every 5 minutes.
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8
After 25 minutes, add the basil leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
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9
Take off the heat and set aside.
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10
A note about eggplants.
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11
Here in Israel we have 2 types of eggplantsthe thin long kind and bulky shaped Baladi eggplants.
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12
The thin, long shaped ones are more bitter and will need to be drained on paper towels for approximately an hour.
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13
If you using Baladi eggplants, you are good to go!
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14
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Slice the eggplants in 1/4 inch slices.
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15
Depending on the type of eggplants you are using, either drain the slices for bitterness or continue to the second step.
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16
Fill a deep pot with canola oil and let it heat up over medium heat.
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17
Let the heat reach approximately 375 F/190 C (you can test it by adding a few drops to the water to see if it sizzles).
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18
Add several slices of the eggplants in a single layer and make sure not to crowd the pan.
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19
Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until the slices are good and brown but not burnt.
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20
Remove them from the oil using a spatula to drain on paper towels.
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21
Repeat frying the rest of the eggplant slices.
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22
3.
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23
Begin assembling the dish: Cover the bottom of a baking dish (I used a large oval baker) with tomato sauce then add a layer of eggplant slices, 13 of the Parmesan and 13 of the mozzarella.
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24
Continue in the same order two more times.
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25
4.
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26
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese on top begins to bubble and get crispy.
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27
Take it out of the oven and serve right away.
