it's not all pizza and pasta you know...

 So, I may have included sweet breakfasts and 'chip pizza' in a previous post, but Italians aren't all about the carbs. Honestly! They love veggies, and make good use of what's in season. At the moment, aubergines are in season, and so I have included an oh-so-simple recipe for grilled aubergines. You can also use the same method with tomatoes and courgettes. They all taste delicious!

You will need the following:

So, first you need to rinse the aubergine (or eggplant!) and chop it into fairly thin slices.

Then, place in a pan on medium heat. You don't need oil, but do sprinkle some salt in the pan before you add the aubergine slices.

 As the aubergine is cooking, take some mint leaves (rinse first)...

...and chop a clove of garlic (half if you are using only half of the aubergine) into tiny pieces.

Put the mint and garlic into a bowl, add a little salt, a drop or two of vinegar and a good glug of oil. Then, mix!

 Just look at the wrist action going on here...

Make sure that you turn the aubergine slices occasionally, and that they are evenly brown all over.  They should have a much softer consistency than before. I cooked mine for about 10 minutes in total, but this may vary slightly. They should look something like this:

When cooked, put the aubergine slices onto a plate, and drizzle the oil mixture evenly over the plate. Leave for about 15-20 minutes to cool. I was told to leave them so that the flavour really gets into the aubergine. And in my opinion, they are much better cold than hot, especially when the weather is boiling (like it is today!) 

And one final tip: you may need to brush your teeth after. You may ward off vampires with the garlic...but also everyone else!!

Buon appetito!