This recipe was developed by Vivek Singh as part of his 20th anniversary celebration meal – and it’s a marvel. The sweet peanuts compliment the bitter savouriness of the aubergines perfectly and the tamarind paste adds delightful sourness. It’s a wonderful side dish or a vegan main and it’s something you may not have tried before. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of sea salt and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened, stirring occasionally. The quintessential baked aubergine dish would have to be a melanzane parmigiana – and who can resist the moreish combination of silky fried aubergines layered up with a killer tomato sauce and parmesan? This recipe uses a béchamel on top, but if you prefer a less heavy version, try our lighter parmigiana which uses mozzarella for ooziness. Or go even bigger and opt for our aubergine parmigiana sandwich.

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Pour the olive oil into a large ovenproof dish or roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Carefully add the aubergine cubes to the hot oil. Season well with salt and pepper, add the diluted rose harissa and toss everything together.It’s one of the most popular dips in a mezze for a reason! Aubergine loves a bit of char, and cooking aubergines directly over a flame imparts a smokiness which takes the vegetable to new levels. She has appeared as a judge on numerous panels, including Veggie Magazine Awards, Great British Food Awards (alongside Raymond Blanc, Michael Roux, Nathan Outlaw, Mark Hix, Rosemary Shrager and more) and appeared on the highly regarded Great Taste Awards head judges panel for the last two years. Take the roast radishes and onion out of the oven and slice the radishes into halves. Mix the onion into the egg mix and reserve the radishes. Which variety? Baby Thai aubergines are harder to come by, but they are available online at Thai grocers (see below). Clients for recipe development work include Tio Pepe, Sarsons, Bonne Maman, MacSween, Strong Roots and Peter’s Yard.

Carefully turn the parcels over so that joins in the pastry are underneath and place on a baking tray lined with parchment. If you like, gently score the surface of the pastry parcels with a pattern. Score lines, or diamonds, or whatever you fancy, just be very careful not to cut too deeply through to the filling. If spending a few hours meditatively rolling up little aubergine parcels sounds like your idea of heaven, come hither. These rolls, also known as involtini di melanzane alla parmigiana, are as pleasing to make as they are to eat. Greek-style yoghurt (cheaper natural yoghurt can also be used but will need to be strained for the egg recipe) What I thought: Like everyone else I know, I struggle to keep coming up with simple but tasty midweek meal ideas, so I was instantly drawn to the Weekday section of Elly Pear’s book. I love the concept of her Freezer Food recipes. You make one base dish in a quantity big enough to allow you to freeze some of it. Then there are various ways to use that base dish to whip up enticing but incredibly easy meals when you get home from work and don’t have the time or energy to cook something complicated. I love this approach as it fits perfectly with our busy family schedule.

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You’ll need 2-3 aubergines for this recipe, and if you make this 2-3 days ahead and chill it, the flavours will intensify beautifully. The meaty aubergine makes this Greek classic what it is. Which variety? If you can find them, long and thin Japanese aubergines are lovely for this recipe. If not, the classic globe won’t let you down.