Aubergine Milanese

Aubergine Milanese

This is one of those recipes we keep coming back to again and again. Crispy, golden, breadcrumbed aubergine sitting on top of a proper garlicky tomato spaghetti. It's the kind of dinner that feels a bit fancy but honestly isn't that hard to pull off. The aubergine goes beautifully crunchy on the outside and stays soft and almost meaty in the middle, and paired with that simple pomodoro sauce it just works. If you're trying to convince someone that plant-based food is genuinely delicious, make them this.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C fan setting
  • Large baking tray lined with parchment
  • Food processor (optional, for breadcrumbs)
  • Plate lined with kitchen paper
  • Saucepan
  • Frying pan

Ingredients

  • 2 large aubergines
  • 100g panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp Nooch
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • Aquafaba
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • vegetable oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 x 400g can of tinned tomatoes
  • ½ tbsp caster sugar
  • ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 portions of spaghetti
  • handful of fresh basil
  • Salt & pepper
  • plant-based parmesan

Method

1

Prepare the aubergines

  • Cut the stalk off each aubergine then cut each aubergine into 2cm thick slices and lay on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Sprinkle the aubergines with salt and set to one side whilst you prepare the other ingredients. This will draw some of the moisture out of the aubergines
2

For the spaghetti pomodoro

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan over low to medium heat. Crush the garlic and add to the pan. Fry for a few minutes, taking care not to burn it. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
3

For the aubergine milanese

  • Preheat the oven to 200*C fan setting
  • Combine the breadcrumbs with the nooch, dried oregano and a big pinch of salt and pepper. You may need to blend the breadcrumbs if they are too thick
  • Dust an aubergine slice in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip the aubergine into the aquafaba, letting the excess drip off. Next, lay the aubergine in the breadcrumbs and coat both sides. Repeat with each slice of aubergine
  • Pour enough vegetable oil to cover the base of the frying pan and gently warm. In batches (so you don’t overcrowd the pan), lower the aubergine slices into the pan and fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with flakey salt
4

Serve

  • Serve the aubergine milanese alongside steaming bowls of spaghetti pomodoro and lashings of plant-based parmesan

Tips & Variations

  • Salt properly: Don't skip the salting step. We know it feels like faff but it genuinely transforms the texture of the aubergine. Give it at least 10 minutes on the kitchen paper.
  • Get the oil hot enough: When you're frying the breadcrumbed aubergine, make sure the oil is properly hot before the slices go in. If it's not hot enough they'll absorb loads of oil and go greasy rather than crispy.
  • Make it gluten-free: Just swap the breadcrumbs for gluten-free ones. Works just as well and nobody will notice the difference.

Why This Works

The trick is salting the aubergine slices before you cook them. It draws out the moisture so they go properly crispy in the pan instead of going soggy. The other thing that makes this sing is keeping the tomato sauce really simple: good garlic, good tomatoes, low and slow. Don't rush it.