Smoked eggplant, grilled courgette and goat's cheese crostini

Babiche Martens

Try these summery crostini for a weekend lunch or for when friends pop over for drinks.

Ingredients

1 bottle	Olive oil, as much as you need to brush on to crostini
1	Baguette, sourdough (Main)
1	Eggplant (Main)
1 clove	Garlic
½	Lemons, juiced
½ tsp	Smoked paprika
4	Courgettes (Main)
200 g	Goat's cheese (Main)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Slice the bread into thin rounds and brush on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle over a little salt and bake for about 7 minutes or until golden - watch carefully. Remove from the oven and let cool.
2. Over a gas flame or using a barbecue, blacken the skin of the eggplant while turning it with a pair of tongs. Put the eggplant in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to let steam for 5 minutes. When cool, peel and trim. Puree in a food processor with the garlic, lemon and paprika. Check for seasoning.
3. Trim the courgettes, then halve lengthwise and slice finely. Heat olive oil in a pan, then fry the courgette slices on each side until golden.
4. To serve, spoon a little of the eggplant onto the crostini, twist the courgette into rounds and place on top. Crumble over a little of the cheese and add a grind of pepper.