Grilled aubergine, lamb and mint salad

Serves 4

It's such a shame that we never seem to use the aubergine to its full potential. Its lovely, purple curves get lost when it is chopped up and thrown into ratatouille.

This dish can be easily cooked on the barbecue. I've used lambs' hearts here, which are delicious just briefly cooked and sliced.

1 aubergine, trimmed, halved lengthways and cut into 1cm-thick slices
1 lamb's heart, halved and trimmed of any fat and sinew
150-200g lamb under-fillets, or loin fillet
3-4tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated zest of half a lemon
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
A few sprigs of oregano, roughly chopped
1 small, crisp cos lettuce, trimmed and washed, large leaves torn in half
A handful of mint leaves, washed
A handful of black olives
For the dressing
1tbsp white wine vinegar
4-5tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon

Pre-heat a barbecue or ribbed griddle pan. Season the aubergines and lightly brush with olive oil. Grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side until tender, then lay them on a plate. Meanwhile, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan with the lemon zest, garlic and oregano, and leave to infuse on a very low heat for a minute. Spoon the olive oil mixture over the aubergines and leave for 30 minutes or so.

Cut the lamb's heart vertically into thin escalopes. Season the fillets and hearts and lightly brush with oil. Grill for a couple of minutes on each side then leave to rest for a couple of minutes on a plate.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together.

Arrange the cos leaves and mint on plates with the aubergine slices, scatter over the olives, then slice the lamb fillets and hearts into strips or larger slices and arrange on and among the salad. Spoon over the dressing and serve immediately.