Cranks Aubergine Parmesan

It takes a special group of people to set up a restaurant and simultaneously to poke fun at themselves. When David and Kay Canter and friend Daphne Swann opened Cranks in in London in the early 1960s, that is precisely how vegetarians were regarded. This was pre swinging London, but the Carnaby Street location certainly helped in pushing them, and their "revolutionary" style of food into the mainstream.

I still consult their 1981 recipe book. It seemed fitting to start here though I do have to say some parts look a little odd to today's eyes. On the same page as today's recipe I find an entry for Eggs Florentine - with hard boiled eggs! In Sicily an aubergine Parmesan will be meat free, but the better known versions of that dish have meat to make them more substantial. Cranks use potato for bulk. We may technically be in spring, but this is a fine warming dish for a chilly day. When I make the dish I adapt it slightly. My adaptations are in italics.

Ingredients

450g potatoes; 1 large aubergine (about 450g); olive oil (approximately 150ml); 50g butter; 1 medium onion; 4 tomatoes, chopped and deseeded (I tend to use tinned); 2 tbsp wholemeal flour (the Cranks people would use no other kind); 140 ml milk; 50g freshly grated Parmesan; 3tbsp breadcrumbs (wholemeal if possible); 1 clove garlic; 1 tsp dried oregano; salt and pepper to taste; chopped basil and/or parsley to garnish (The original recipe uses dried basil, which I abominate. It also suggests margarine in place of butter – another sign of the times.)

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Preheat your oven to 200̊C/Mark 6. Cut the potatoes into 2cm cubes. Parboil for about 10 minutes until just tender. Reserve 300 ml of the water you have boiled them in. Dice the aubergines and sauté in oil until soft and slightly browned. Set the potatoes and aubergines to one side and keep warm. Sauté the onion in half the butter until transparent.  Add the chopped tomatoes. If using tinned, use whole tomatoes and drain off the liquid. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. *(I guess this is to thicken the sauce. I would omit the flour and simply regulate the thickness of the final sauce by reducing it later.) Add the reserved potato water, milk, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer to reduce to a pouring sauce. Put the aubergines and potatoes on an oven proof dish or pan. Pour over the sauce. Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle on top. Dot with the remaining butter and bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until heated through. A sprinkling of fresh basil, or flat leaf parsley or both, is nice.

Tom Cooks! returns in two weeks' time