Melt the butter in a sauce pan.
Add the chopped shallot
Sweat over a low heat for about 3 minutes until it is soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes into the pan (my tomatoes looks a bit like “passata” because I usually mash the big pieces with a potato masher).
Then stir gently for few seconds.
Add the sugar and stir.
Add a pinch of salt and stir.
Add the small chilli. Chilli here is used instead of the ground pepper because this is the way I like it, but feel free to use pepper (just a sprinkle) if you like. Anyway, if you use chilli, use a very tiny one because we want to give the sauce just an imperceptible hint.
Add a sprinkle of dried basil and stir. I normally cook the sauce for about 20-30 minutes to reduce it a bit.
When you think the sauce is ready, lay some of the sauce in the bottom of an oven dish; let's say about 1/2 cm thick layer (3/16").
Now, you are ready to put the aubergine slices into it.
Lay the slices as shown in the photograph. Generally speaking, I try to put 3-4 slices per person.
Prepare some Parmesan cheese shavings
Cover each slice with them as shown in the photograph.
Cut the mozzarella in slices 1 cm thick
Cut a square of the size to cover a slice.
This is what you have to achieve.
With a large spoon, cover each slice with the remaining sauce.
Pre-heat the oven at 190ºC (375ºF) and then put the dish in for about 30 minutes or until you see the first signs of browning on the perimeter. When cooked, you can cool it down and cover with foil. Re-heated for 10 minutes in the oven, it will give you a lovely meal for later in the evening or you can put it in the fridge and re-heat it the following day.
Buon Appetito!