I love the mauve varieties of aubergine which, with their creamy and dense interiors, lend themselves perfectly as a meat alternative. The less you do to these aubergines however, the better. The combo of herbs, olive oil and lemon juice is a Sicilian classic.

Slice a large mauve aubergine into rounds (5mm thick). Heat up a grill pan on the stove top and brush with a little oil. Brush the aubergine rounds in olive oil too. Grill the rounds on both sides till they are nicely marked by the grooves of the pan and transfer to a serving platter.

In the meantime, in a small bowl place 3 tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 tbs chopped parsley, 1 tbsp chopped basil, and some sea salt and pepper. Beat till well-combined and creamy and pour over the aubergine slices.

You can serve these straight away or leave overnight to marinate in the refrigerator.

I like to serve the aubergine as part of an antipasto platter (grilled peppers, shavings of parmigiano, marinated mushrooms, olives, etc.) alongside plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices and oil.