Greek inspired vegetables in tomato sauce

It's been a loooooong time since I posted anything. Time is not my friend. Anyway, I find myself in Greece and inspired. Here's a little self-catering classic using local ingredients. It's cheap, full of flavour and vegan (or at least, it was until I added the goats cheese) so what's not to like?

You'll need (4 servings):

- olive oil

- 1 aubergine (in 1 inch cubes, salted, drained, patted dry)

- 2 tomatoes (peeled and finely chopped)

- 1 onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 12 juicy olives (with the stone!!!)

- 1 green pepper

- a good pinch of thyme

- a good pinch of oregano

- 1 tsp salt

- pepper to taste

- some hot paprika (to taste)

- pasta (if that's how you're serving) or bread

- (optional) shavings of hard goat's cheese

Cost: around 0.80 Euro per serving

1. Prep those aubergines. Cut. Salt. Leave 30 minutes. Soak in water 5 minutes. Drain. Pat dry and lightly squeeze in a tea towel or kitchen roll. This stage is important: the aubergine cooks better and absorbs less oil. Heat up some olive oil in a pan - medium heat. Aubergines in. Fry on all sides for around 15 minutes or until the aubergine starts to brown. Remove from the pan.

2. Use the same oil. Onions in. Give them 5 minutes.

3. Garlic in. 5 minutes.

4. Tomatoes in. Let them cook down for around 10 minutes to develop a sauce.

5. Pretty soon after the tomatoes go in, get those herbs and spices in!

6. When the sauce looks about done, add the olives and give them a couple of minutes.

7. Add the peppers and give them a minute. No more. It's nice if they retain some crunch.

8. Add the aubergine. Turn off the heat. Leave on the hob and cover. Let the flavours develop for around 5 minutes.

9. Voila!

Enjoy with pasta or bread. Sprinkle on a little cheese if you like or keep it clean and vegan if you prefer.