Griddled aubergine stacks with tomato confetti sauce

This recipe is completely dairy free, but if you like cheese these vegetable stacks are lovely topped with a slice of griddled Halloumi. The sauce should have lots of very little pieces of tomato and pepper pieces in it to form the "confetti"

Serves: 4
Vegan

What you need:

• A little olive oil
• 1 large aubergine, cut into rings
• 2 beef tomatoes, skinned and cut into rings
• 1 lemon, zest only
• few sprigs fresh sage
• few sprigs fresh thyme
• few fresh chives
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• balsamic vinegar to taste

For the sauce:

• 15ml/1tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 225g/8oz fresh ripe full flavoured tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
• 150ml/5 fl oz vegetarian white wine
• 1 yellow or red pepper, roasted, skin removed and cut into strips then across into diamonds
• 5ml/1tsp balsamic vinegar
• To decorate chives or chive flowers

What to do:

1. First make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion gently with the garlic. Add half the chopped tomatoes and white wine and cook for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth. Mix in the rest of the chopped tomatoes and pepper pieces and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Season to taste.
2. Brush the griddle with olive oil and cook the aubergine slices so that they are seared with stripes. Put on one side and keep warm.
3. Grill the beef tomato slices gently.
4. Chop and mix the lemon, sage, thyme and chives together and season well.
5. On individual serving plates layer the aubergine, tomato and then the herb mix and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. Repeat until all the layers are used up and top with a nicely striped aubergine slice and a sprinkling of the herb mixture. Drizzle tomato confetti sauce around the plate and decorate with chives or chive flowers. Serve warm.

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