Eggplant Parmigiana - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 -3 large eggplants, peeled and cut into long, thick slices
salt
seasoned flour
olive oil
8 -10 fresh mozzarella balls, sliced into rounds
1/2 cup freshly grated grana padano or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
For the sauce
1 (400 g) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch sugar

Preparation

Sprinkle the eggplant slices lightly with the salt and let the juices disgorge for about half-an-hour. Pat the slices dry. Dust lightly with seasoned plain flour and then brown in olive oil in a non-stick frypan. You will need to do this in batches.
For the tomato sauce:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add a finely chopped onion and saute until the onion is transparent. Add 2 finely chopped cloves garlic and saute for a minute. Add 1 400g can Italian diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped and 1 tbsp parsley, chopped. Grind in black pepper, add half a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
To assemble:
Preheat oven to 180\u00b0C Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil. Place a layer of eggplant over the bottom. Top with some tomato sauce and then dot with mozzarella slices. Continue layering until all the eggplant is used up. The last layer should be tomato sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle with the grated grana padano or parmesan. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes.