The theme of this dinner is Easy Italian, there's an appetite inducing starter of steamed carrots with raw purple onions and a subtle dressing made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and a touch of Dijon mustard. This is followed by a savoury dish without meat; melanzane parmigiana (eggplant baked in tomato sauce and cheese).

A simple peasant dish that hails originally from Sicily, the island lying off the southern coast of Italy. Nowadays, It is made by layering melanzane (aubergine/eggplant), Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and a luscious tomato sauce in an oven-proof dish then baking it all in the oven.

Take 1 large aubergine, cut it lengthwise into long strips of 1cm thick, lay them in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside for 25 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce by combining 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 x 12 ozs tin (can) plum tomatoes, a small bunch of fresh basil chopped up, 6 cloves of garlic crushed, salt, pepper, tspn sugar, and - 1 chicken cube. Stir well and test as soon as the chicken cube dissolves. Continue to cook over medium heat for 20 minutes and set aside. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is soft enough to mash down. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until as it's thick as congee. Season with salt. You can make double the amount as this sauce holds for 1 week in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer

When the aubergine has released the bitter vetch after 25 minutes, rinse off the salt and dry the eggplant slices on paper kitchen towels. Dust the slices on both sides with plain flour, dip into 1 beaten egg and fry in hot oil until brown on both sides, remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with all of the pieces. Keep extra oil handy as the aubergine soaks it up quickly. You can skip this pre-frying step if you wish and continue as below.

Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F).

Put 2 Tbsp of tomato sauce in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, and add a layer of aubergine slices placed close together. Cover the aubergines with thin slices of mozzarella cheese, then spoon more tomato sauce onto the cheese and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese. To get the best results buy the cheese in one piece and avoid the pre-grated stuff sold in packets - it lacks taste. Continue with another layer of aubergine slices arranging them in the opposite direction to the layer below, cover with another thin layer of mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. If you still have some aubergine slices left then add another layer, and top it all with a layer of tomato sauce and a very generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese - try to get Parmeggiano Reggiano if you can. Bake in a preheated oven (200C) for 15 minutes. Leave the dish to sit for 5 minutes in a warm place before serving, this allows the aubergine to absorb the sauce flavours fully.

A fresh vegetable soup and/or a dish of steamed carrots plus some frozen seedless grapes for dessert are all you need for a satisfying meal - albeit with meat. The protein comes from the cheeses.

I notice a lot of bananas in the supermarkets right now. You can make a lovely dessert or smoothie by freezing the really ripe ones. Just peel and freeze 2 chopped bananas for 1-2 hours then whiz in a blender or food processor, with a pinch of cinnamon, cup of milk, few drops vanilla essence and 1 Tbsp thin honey. Frappe the mixture in a blender with some crushed ice until smooth.

As an alternative, you can add frozen melons, apricots, ripe peaches or berries to the bananas and 1 ozs Brandy, making sure you always have at least 1/2 the quantity of banana total. Add 100 gms of Greek yogurt and you have a smooth ice cream.

Don't let previously frozen bananas thaw completely, they will turn into soup!

(HK Edition 10/06/2012 page4)