HOW TO COOK AUBERGINE IN OVEN RECIPES

1. Strip and finely chop the rosemary leaves and finely chop the bacon.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large casserole pan on a high heat. Once hot, add the rosemary and bacon and fry for 2 minutes, or until the bacon starts to crisp up, stirring regularly.
3. Add all the minced meat, using a wooden spoon to break it up as you go. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for at least 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.
4. Place the coarse grater attachment in your food processor (or you could use a box grater instead) and grate the Cheddar, then tip into a bowl.
5. Replace the grater with the regular blade. Trim and halve the carrots, then add to the processor and blitz to roughly the same size as the mince. Peel and halve the onions, add them to the carrot and blitz again.
6. Tip into the pan with the mince while you get on with blitzing and adding the celery. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften, stirring regularly.
7. Next, add the tomato purée and plum tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Fill each of the tins with water and tip into the pan. Give everything a good stir and reduce the heat to low. Leave to simmer around 2 hours, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally.
8. While that ticks away, make your white sauce. Trim, wash and finely slice the leeks, then add to a pan along with 2 tablespoons of oil and the bay leaves. Stir well and season with a tiny pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
9. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, or until sweet and softened, adding splashes of water, if needed.
10. Add the flour and stir well to coat, then gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Turn the heat up to medium, bring to the boil, then reduce to low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly.
11. Carefully transfer the sauce to the food processor and blitz until smooth and silky. Add half the grated cheese and finely grate over half the nutmeg and mix well. Season to taste.
12. Once the ragù is ready, preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
13. Season the ragù to taste, then transfer half into freezer bags, portioning up as appropriate for your family. Allow to cool to room temperature, then pop in the freezer for another day. It’s a good idea to freeze them flat so that you can reheat them quickly and easily. It’s also a good idea to label and date them to avoid a game of freezer roulette in a few weeks' time!
14. To build your lasagne, spoon a quarter of the ragù into a large deep ovenproof dish (roughly 25cm by 30cm) and spread it out evenly.
15. Spoon over a quarter of the white sauce, then snap over some lasagne sheets, making sure they completely cover the sauce in one layer. Repeat this 3 times, finishing with a layer of white sauce.
16. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake the lasagne in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
17. Remove the lasagne from the oven and leave to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Delicious served with a fresh green salad.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/gas mark 4. Brush the aubergine slices all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil and some freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until thickened.

Spoon a little of the sauce into a 1.5 litre oven proof dish. Add a layer of aubergine slices then top with some mozzarella. Repeat until everything is used up. Sprinkle with the hard cheese; bake for 20 minutes.

Garnish with the extra basil and serve with the bread and salad on the side.

1. Place a large shallow casserole pan on a medium heat with 250ml of water.
2. Prick the whole aubergines all over with a fork, halve lengthways and place in the pan. Peel, quarter and add the onions, then cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic, and pick the sage leaves.
4. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
5. Remove the lid, and once most of the liquid has cooked away, make a well in the middle. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, chilli flakes and most of the sage leaves, then finely grate in the lemon zest. Once golden, scrunch in the tomatoes, pour in 2 tins' worth of water, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, grate in the cheeses, then season to absolute perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
7. Tear in the pasta sheets and mix up really well to coat and separate, then pull some of the sheets to the top to create a top layer.
8. Bash the almonds until fine and rub the remaining sage leaves with oil, then sprinkle on top.
9. Use the back of a spoon to create some dips and wells, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. I love this served with a big crunchy green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
2. Halve the aubergine lengthways and thickly slice.
3. Drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the aubergine in batches for 5 to 7 minutes, or until softened and golden, adding a little more oil, if needed. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.
4. Peel and thinly slice the onion, and peel and slice the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the empty pan, with a little more oil if necessary, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened. Transfer to the bowl with the aubergine.
5. Chop the potatoes into 1cm cubes, thinly slice the medium tomatoes and slice the courgettes.
6. Add the potato, all the tomatoes, the courgette, passata and 200ml water to the bowl. Sprinkle with the oregano, then pick, finely chop and add the parsley. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
7. Combine well with your hands and transfer to a large ovenproof dish. Drizzle with any remaining oil.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top has browned and vegetables are tender. Allow to cool slightly before serving.