Aubergine Flower

Ah it's all a bit 'Ready Steady Cook' when I'm at my folks...When the belly starts to grumble I grab the colander and a knife and make a bee line for the garden. I return to the kitchen with long, dark leaves of cavolo nero, a shiny, kingly purple aubergine, a couple of juicy, red cherry tomatoes and two small, but adequate artichokes...no doubt the last of the season. It's simple stuff and I will cook it in a simple way...

I brush the aubergine generously with olive oil, soften and brown them under the grill. I peel back the artichokes and extract their crunchy little hearts, which I throw into a pan with the torn kale, gently frying with some butter. Tomatoes; I keep them raw to give me a memory of the summer that has passed. I top the whole thing off with a poached egg for a bit of protein and well, who doesn't appreciate a nicely poached goog. Aesthetically pleasing and the childlike pleasure gained from piercing the center and watching the river of runny yellow yolk finding its path with gravity....Yum!