GRIDDLED AUBERGINES WITH FETA, MINT AND CHILLI

You can griddle these aubergines, grill them or just blitz them in the heat of the barbecue: I really don’t care. The point is this: once your slices of aubergine are cooked, you pile up one short end with lemon-soused crumbled feta, chopped red chilli and fresh mint and roll the whole thing up; it’s really more of an assembly job than cooking.

I tend to think of these simple involtini as an ideal vegetable picky-thing to serve either as a starter before, or alongside, a generally meat-heavy barbecue, but they don’t have to be: frankly, just serve these with drinks and you don’t have to think of a first course for the rest of summer. And I eat these happily deep into winter too.

2 large aubergines, each cut thinly, lengthwise, into about 10 slices

4 tablespoons olive oil

250g feta cheese

1 large red chilli, finely chopped, deseeded or not, depending on how much heat you want

large bunch fresh mint, finely chopped, with some saved for sprinkling over at the end

juice of 1 lemon

black pepper

Preheat the barbecue or griddle to a high heat.

Brush both sides of the aubergine slices with the oil, and cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.

Crumble the feta into a bowl and stir in the chilli, mint and lemon juice and grind in some black pepper. You don’t need salt, as the feta is salty enough. Pile the end third of each warm aubergine slice with a heaped teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.

Place join side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint.

Makes 20 rolls.