Vegetarian aubergine fans (ventagli di melanzane)

Ingredients

4 aubergines, ideally the long kind
coarse sea salt
3 vine ripened tomatoes
1 yellow and 1 red pepper
100g/4oz stone in green olives, sliced
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh basil
toasted pine nuts, optional

Method

1. Lay the aubergines on their sides. To create the fan effect, make parallel cuts about 10mm/½in apart, cutting not quite all the way through from the stalk end to the bottom.
2. Push some coarse sea salt into each slit and place the aubergines, slit side down, over a colander or on a plate placed at an angle, to allow the bitter juices to drain out. After 20-30 minutes, remove the salt, wash the aubergines and carefully pat the inside of the cuts dry.
3. Meantime preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and prepare the vegetables. Slice the tomatoes and garlic and cut the peppers into strips. Stone the olives and cut into rings.
4. Place the vegetables inside the cuts you made in the aubergines, starting with the peppers and making sure you place some red and some yellow peppers in each cut. Place all the rest of the vegetables in the cuts, distributing evenly till you have used them all up.
5. Oil a shallow casserole and place the aubergines, cut side up in the dish. Lay them side by side in a dish which just holds them nicely packed. If yours is too big, place balls of aluminium foil or pieces of raw potato in between to help them stay vegetable-filled sides uppermost.
6. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with plenty of olive oil. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving topped with a few fresh basil leaves, and scattered with toasted pine nuts if you like. Serve when they have cooled to just lukewarm.

Tips:
Dry peeling tomatoes: if the tomatoes have ripened on the plant in strong sun, they have a thick peel that is easily removed without blanching. Just rub all over the tomato with the back of a knife to loosen the skin from the flesh, then use the pointed tip to lift off the skin.
Removing the smell of garlic from your hands: use a safe stainless steel utensil or spoon as if it were a bar of soap and 'wash' your hands with it under cold running water. Works like magic!
Removing the aubergine flesh: you may prefer to use a spoon to scoop out the flesh; a grapefruit spoon is ideal. The smaller you chop the dice, the better amalgamated your filling will be.
Cooking time: adjust the timing downwards if you are using 4 small aubergines rather than 2 large ones.