Char-grilled Vegetables with Fresh Mint Dressing

It’s time for me to head back to London so I’m making something I can have on the train and can leave half for Lowell to have for his supper.

4 red peppers

5 courgettes

3 aubergines

300g cherry tomatoes

Mint Dressing

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

150ml olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp mint finely chopped

Lowell’s working on the peppers. They’re quartered and go under a hot grill, skin side up. When they blacken and blister they go into a plastic bag so they steam. After a few minutes, the skin can be peeled off. We’re listening to Die Fledermaus. I’ve a feeling neither of us actually likes it, but we both have a sense that you should listen to Strauss at New Year, and we forgot to, yesterday. I don’t actually know the story, so I can’t follow it, but it’s fun and infectious and captures the mood of the two of us.

The courgettes and aubergines are all sliced lengthways so you end up with long slices, about ½ cm thick. In batches, cook in a griddle pan until cooked and slightly charred. Don’t crowd the pan – you don’t want it steaming instead of chargrilling. This takes ages so there’s plenty of time to listen to Lowell chattering away. Try to keep each batch warm.

Get on with the dressing – you might as well, and having a bit of time to settle down will do it good. Crush the garlic and toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan. Simply combine everything in a small jug and give it a good stir from time to time. Lowell has a lovely thick glassed jug, full of natural imperfections. It’s perfect and I want to steal it.

When the veg is all done and has those lovely char-grill lines all over it, halve the tomatoes and cook in the same pan until just soft.

Serve on a nice dish with the minty dressing poured over. I think this looks best with each vegetable separately on the dish, rather than all jumbled together. For something so simple, this tastes really unusual. Everyone asks if there is any sugar in the dressing but it is just the mint, with the cumin undertone, that tastes so sweet.

Lowell will be having his with some (bought) potato salad, smartened up with some finely chopped spring onions & cornichons with a dusting of paprika, and a crunchy green salad. Mainly because I’m convinced he doesn’t eat 5 a day when he’s on his own. Mine is going in a baguette fresh from the local bakers, for the journey.

I’m going to miss this guy. It’s confusing. He’s straight but we’re getting close and bedtimes are good. However confusing it is for me it must be ten times more so for him and so we just get on with things – like cooking. The eating, at least, will be good. When you’re happy, life is for living, not questioning.