This is a wonderful lunch on a hot day with a bowl of olives and some breadsticks. If you have one, use a ridged grill pan to cook the aubergines so you get a pretty striped effect. The combination of silky smoky aubergine, the slight sweetness of honey and the kick of the chilli is quite unusual. This is the sort of chilli which leaves your lips zinging, if you don’t like zinging lips then add less chilli. Serves 6
3 large round aubergines
Extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
3 dried red chillies, crumbled [or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes]
2 tbsp dried wild oregano
2 x 800g tins peeled plum tomatoes [drain the juice and keep]
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Herb vinegar [tarragon, thyme or similar]
3 tbsp fresh parsley

First, make the tomato-chilli sauce. Put 2 tbsp of oil into a thick-bottomed saucepan, and put on a medium heat. Add the garlic, cook gently until golden. Add the chilli and the dried oregano. Add the drained tomatoes and mash them into the garlic with a spoon. Stir and cook this pulp over a low heat for a least 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. The tomatoes will thicken and become almost dry. If the tomatoes begin to stick, add a little of the reserved tomato juice. The colour will be an intense red and the texture sticky. Season with salt and pepper and some olive oil. Spread over a flat plate and allow to dry out a little.

Cut the aubergines into 5mm thick slices. Using a preheated, very hot griddle pan, grill the aubergines on both sides. Press to test if they are cooked.

To serve, arrange the aubergine slices on a serving plate, drizzle with the herb vinegar and olive oil to taste. Spread the slices with the tomato-chilli paste. Scatter with the fresh marjoram or parsley leaves. 5 to remember
sedoso/a – silky
ahumado/a – smoky
la combinación – combination
una patada – a kick
el oregano – oregano

‘River Café Cook Book Two’ by Rose Gray and Ruth Rodgers