Baby aubergines baked with rosemary and lemon thyme


	Rosemary in a blue bowl by Elda Abramson

Taken from "Vegetable Heaven" by Catherine Mason
(Pauntley Prints, 2002, ISBN: 0-9534879-3-6, price £20.00)
[other sample recipes]

If, like me, you're susceptible to all things mini, you may already have been beguiled by those cute little packs of tiny aubergines to be found on the produce shelves of certain supermarkets. If so, here's something nice to do with them. These little aubergines would make a lovely accompaniment to a cheesy baked potato or, for something more refined, team them with Tomato and pepper frittata and Basil and pistachio bread (both recipes from Vegetable Heaven).

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 heaped teaspoons of sun-dried tomato paste
250 g baby aubergines, washed and halved lengthwise
2 red onions, peeled and cut into hefty chunks
leaves from 3 sprigs rosemary
leaves from a small bunch of lemon thyme
salt and pepper
8 Kalamata olives, stoned

Oven temperature: 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6)

Mix together the olive oil and tomato paste, then thin to the consistency of single cream with a little hot water. Put the aubergines, onions, rosemary and thyme in a bowl, pour in the tomato-oil mixture and turn everything over a few times to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.
Place in a single layer in a shallow baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 40–50 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove the foil, dot with the olives and return the dish to the oven for about 5 minutes to dry out slightly. Adding the olives near the end of the cooking time retains their succulence.

SERVES 2