Steps
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Blend the peeled tomatoes with their juice in a saucepan. Add the garlic grated on a microplane, the olive oil, the sugar, the salt and the bay leaves. Warm over medium-low heat until you need it (the sauce should slowly thicken).
- Cut the eggplants into slices about 4 mm thick.
- Spread them across 3 trays, spray both sides with olive oil and bake at 180°C until tender and browned, swapping the trays' positions three times for even cooking.
- Assemble in a medium baking dish: a little sauce (without bay leaves), a layer of eggplant, a few minced basil leaves (reserve some for the top), grated parmesan (reserve some for the top), then repeat. Finish with sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C (convection).
- Switch the oven to the grill at full power. Cover the top with the reserved parmesan and grill for about 2 minutes, watching closely.
- Scatter with shredded fresh basil before serving.