An Aubergine Lunch

Having happily passed through a phase of cooking dishes that take a bit more time and effort (as a celebration of having more time and energy to do it), I've gone back now to rather more simple culinary pleasures. I've been leafing through a few of my old favourite cookery books for recipes that I've previously dismissed for a variety of reasons and in this way, I last week ended up making myself Nigel Slater's grilled Parmesan aubergines for lunch. Having all the ingredients to hand, it was an extremely straightforward and tasty alternative midday treat. It's from Real Cooking, and is very speedily created thus:

Ingredients (for 1 person)

I aubergine, cut lengthways into 4 or 5 slices*

Extra virgin olive oil

4-5 tablespoons of grated Parmesan.

Method

Brush the aubergine generously on both sides with the oil before sliding them under a hot grill for five to six minutes or so on each side (just keep an eye on them, you can tell when they're golden and squidgy-looking enough to turn them over or remove from the heat). Sprinkle on the Parmesan and then put them back under the grill for just a minute, until the Parmesan bubbles a bit. That is, quite literally, it.

I ate mine with a smattering of Malden salt flakes and a few fresh basil leaves off my extremely enthusiastic basil plant. Oh dear, I've made my belly rumble.

*Mr Slater suggests that if you have time you can salt the aubergines and leave them to drain: I can't say I've ever found doing that has ever made a jot of different to the flavour, but it would certainly save you on olive oil.