Chef Guido's Classic dish: Melanzane alla Parmigiana

This is one of my absolute favourite dishes. It can be made in a large oven dish, or in individual portions. For presentation purposes, I prefer to make my 'Melanzane alla Parmigiana' in individual ceramic dishes as I think it looks better.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana  - Serves 6.
1 or 2 aubergines (eggplants), 1 large mozzarella, basil leaves, tomato 'passata', extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, parmigiano cheese.

Cut aubergines (eggplants) into very thin slices, add olive oil onto the slices (and sprinkle with salt)  Grill them on a hot grill pan or barbecue. Place grilled aubergines to one side. Make a simple tomato sauce with a little garlic, olive oil, 'passata' and basil. Thinly slice mozzarella.
Start layering aubergine, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parmigiano cheese, making as many layers as you like..... finishing off with tomato sauce and then parmigiano cheese on top. Bake in moderate oven (170 degrees C. or 340 degrees F.) until cheese is melted.  Serve hot.
Buon appetito!

Preparing one layer at a time

Ready to go in the oven

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A stroll in the Sabine Hills, from one medieval town to another

The Sabine Hills, just north of Rome, is a great place to get away from all the 'hustle and bustle' of day-to-day life. Come for a morning, for a full day or take a vacation here. It is amazingly untouched here. The air is fresh, you are surrounded by rolling hills, olive groves, sheep, medieval hilltop villages, monasteries and winding country roads. It is a perfect place to rest, relax, unwind and learn something new, in a fun and family home environment.

Here are a few photos I just wanted to share with you, when I took a stroll with our daughter Gemma and puppy dog, 'Rocky', from our home in Castelnuovo di Farfa (near a very the beautiful hilltop medieval village, of the same name) to the monastic village of Farfa (called locally, Abbazia di Farfa).  The weather is changing from Summer to Autumn, and the slight breeze and shade as we walked made it very pleasant.

I live here, and this short stroll reminded me of how beautiful our immediate area, between 3 medieval villages: Castelnuovo di Farfa, Farfa and Toffia. I hope you agree.

Local farmhouse with free range chickens and flocks of sheep for the local pecorino cheese.

On the final leg of the walk, between olive groves, and onto Abbazia di Farfa

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