grilled eggplant
and chickpea fritters

Cut the eggplant into 1 cm (½ inch) thick slices and place on a tray. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes or until beads of liquid form on the surface. Rinse the eggplant and dry well. Brush with a little oil and cook under a hot grill (broiler) until tender and browned on each side. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.

Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the milk and eggs and beat until combined and smooth. Stir in the eggplant and chickpeas.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat, add 3–4 tablespoons of oil and single tablespoon amounts of batter to the pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side or until golden and firm in the centre. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

MAKES 20

1 eggplant (aubergine)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil, for cooking

225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) self-raising (self-rising) flour

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) milk

2 eggs

200 g (7 oz) canned chickpeas (garbanzo), drained, rinsed and roughly mashed