Mediterranean vegetable stacks

When summer tastes as good as this you want to pile it up high! I've never really warmed to aubergines, not that I don't like them, I just have not yet had the opportunity to play around with them much. Although as I write this I seem to remember a recipe for an amuse-bouche or cocktail bite involving aubergine caviar - must hunt down the recipe!
I don't even know how I stumbled across this, but in a moment of desperation I entered "aubergine" in google. And I was rewarded by finding the most bizarre website I have come across in a while - aubergine, a vegetarian dating service. So, if you're a vegetarian and not dating people for fear of ending up at the kebab stand after a night out on the town, then look no further, this is where you'll find like-minded individuals. I shouldn't be making fun of it, actually, as I used to live on a vegetarian diet for a couple of years and to tell you the truth I find it appalling how little choice for vegetarians we find on our menus these days. In Austria the standard answer to "are there any vegetarian options" is "try the spinach dumplings" and they invariably are served with a sauce that contains ham... no kidding. Or you're offered soup only to find out that it's made with beef or chicken stock! And the best vegetarian restaurant in Austria is now offering premier quality cuts of beef as well... a contradiction in terms for me, but apparently not for the owner.
Very often you find restaurants, and gourmet temples are no exception, where there are either no vegetarian alternatives at all or they don't even approximate, let alone match, the quality and perfection of their meaty counterparts. There are exceptions to the rule, however, and I find Ducasse in Monaco to be one of them - the "Jardins de Provence" menu is mouthwatering! Thyme is my favourite restaurant here in London, and they have a fantastic vegetarian selection as well. These are the two restaurants where I have a hard time deciding which way to go!
Right, back to the lovely vegetables stacked up in the picture, they go by the names of aubergine, asparagus, tomato, yellow pepper and are accompanied by mozzarella and basil. Apart from skinning the peppers this is very quick to prepare and lends itself to endless variations. Served with a spicy, garlic-infused tomato sauce this will let the sunshine in even on a rainy day!

Mediterranean vegetable stacks
(serves 6 as a starter)

1 medium aubergine
2 balls mozzarella
2 large yellow peppers
2 sprigs thyme
12 thin green asparagus stalks

For the tomato sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
400 g can chopped tomatoes
salt, pepper and chilli flakes to season

Remove the stalks and veins from the peppers, cut in 6 pieces each and put them in a microwavable bowl. Add two springs of thyme. Cook in the microwave for 6 minutes at 1000 W, then cover with cling film and leave to stand for 15 minutes until cooled down.
In the meantime, cut the aubergine into 12 slices of roughly 2 cm, spray with olive oil and fry in a non-stick pan over a hight heat until browned. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella (again ca. 1-2 cm thick) and reserve. Peel the pepper slices and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Lay the asparagus in a shallow pan, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 3 minutes, then refresh.
Prepare the tomato sauce by frying the garlic in the oil, then adding the tomato sauce. Cook for roughly 10 minutes. Season well.
Put together the vegetable stacks, two layers of each ingredient. Finish with a slice of mozzarella. Arrange on a baking tray and cook in the pre-heated oven (100 C) for ca. 8 minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Top with a basil leaf, spoon on the tomato sauce and serve.