Aubergine Croquettes

Ever since I lived in Amsterdam way back when, I've had a love-hate relationship with croquettes. I have fuzzy memories of a time when the most delicious things on earth were warm, crusty balls of cheese. This is a grown-up, sober version. Makes four starter portions.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 medium aubergines
3 tbsp olive oil
100g cooked floury potato, peeled
1 large free-range egg, beaten
60g grated Parmesan
60g grated Gruyère
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tbsp white breadcrumbs, plus plenty to coat
Salt and pepper
Light olive oil, for frying
4 lemon wedges, to serve

For the salsa (optional)

4 small ripe tomatoes, diced
½ small red onion, peeled and diced
Small handful fresh oregano leaves
2 tsp red-wine vinegar
1½ tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Start with the salsa. Mix together all the ingredients and season. Set aside so the onion softens and the flavours develop. Before serving, give it a stir, drain off most of the liquids and transfer to a bowl.

Cut the aubergines into four long wedges and place them, skin side down, in an oven tray. Brush with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and golden-brown.

Use a sharp knife to shave the aubergine flesh away from the skin. Discard the skin, chop the flesh finely and place in a bowl - you should have about 280g of aubergine flesh.

Roughly mash the potato with a fork and add to the aubergine, then add the egg, cheese, garlic, four tablespoons of breadcrumbs and some salt and pepper. The mix should be quite wet and sticky.

Before cooking the croquettes, scatter some breadcrumbs on a plate and heat the frying oil in a medium saucepan - it should be about 1.5cm deep and not too hot (if the oil is too hot, the croquettes will brown before they are cooked through).

Use a spoon to drop about a tablespoon's worth of croquette mix on the breadcrumb plate, then turn around to cover. Use your fingers to shape into barrels (or any shape you like). Fry for a minute a side, until golden brown all over. Transfer to kitchen towel. Serve warm, with the salsa or just a wedge of lemon on the side.

Quesadilla

This Mexican sandwich makes for a brilliant meat-free barbecue dish.

Ingredients (serves 4

For the black bean paste

230g cooked black beans (tinned are fine)
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne
1 bunch coriander, chopped, stalks and all
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp Maldon sea salt

For the salsa

½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tbsp white-wine vinegar
3 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
5 medium sweet tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 mild red chilli, finely diced
1 bunch coriander, chopped, plus extra leaves to garnish
1½ tsp Maldon sea salt
Juice of ½ a lime
2 ripe medium avocadoes, diced

For the tortillas

8 small tortillas (corn look better, but flour are fine)
180ml soured cream
120g good mature cheddar, grated
6 tbsp jalapeño peppers in vinegar, drained and roughly chopped

Drain the beans of their water and place, along with the other paste ingredients, in a food processor bowl. Pulse to a rough paste.

To make the salsa, soak the onion in the vinegar in a large bowl for a few minutes. Add all the other ingredients and stir.

Have ready a hot barbecue or a ridged griddle pan. Take one of the tortillas and spread two tablespoons of bean paste in the centre, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Spread a tablespoon of soured cream over the paste, then scatter over the cheddar, a tablespoon of salsa and some chopped jalapeños. Fold the tortilla over and carefully transfer to the barbecue or griddle. Cook for two to three minutes on each side, by which time the filling should be warm and the tortilla nicely charred. Transfer to a warm place, and repeat with the remaining tortillas.

To serve, cut each tortilla into two at an angle, place on a serving dish and spoon the remaining salsa alongside, garnished with coriander leaves.