Not Fish-'n-Chips

I really hate wasting food. Actually, I hate wasting anything at all. We live in an age where everything is disposable, nothing is precious, and change is discontinuous. And yet, at the same time, we are depleting our natural resources and filling landfills faster than we can empty them... But let me go back to the food theme before I turn this into a rant about our wasteful society.

So I had some random leftovers in my fridge last Sunday night, consisting of precisely:

• half an aubergine;
• a quarter of a red pepper;
• coriander
• half a lemon;
• a bit of natural yogurt;
• a tortilla wrap; and
• some mayo.

For some inexplicable reason this combination made me think of fish and chips. Well, not fish and chips exactly, but it made me think of the concept of fish and chips; the notion of eating something in a fish-'n-chip-like fashion. This may not make sense to others, but it does to me. So what I did was this:

 Not Fish-'n-Chips (But Something Like It)

Not Fish-'n-Chips (But Something Like It)

The leftover aubergine was cut into wedges and char-grilled until fleshy and tender, seasoned with a rub of garlic and a squirt of lemon juice.

The red pepper was grilled whole, peeled and "butterflied" and then cut into succulent strips.

The old stale tortilla was revived with a glug of olive oil and a session under the grill to create tasty, crispy little "chips".

And finally the condiments:  a pesto-style dipping sauce was concocted by blending the coriander with some olive oil and sea salt; and the leftover yogurt was mixed together with the mayo to create a dip for the "chips".

With my tongue firmly in my cheek, I swear: it was finger-lickin'-good. Oh yes, it was.