1. Make lower-calorie mini pizza bases by brushing thick slices of aubergine with olive oil and baking in the oven for 20 mins. Top with tomato sauce and cheese and return to oven until bubbling.
2. For reluctant vegetarians, dip aubergine slices in flour, egg, and bread crumbs and then pan fry. Served this way the vegetable does a great job of mimicking veal or chicken cutlets.
3. Blanch aubergine slices for three minutes in boiling water before you fry it. A study in the Journal of Applied Science Research found it reduced the amount of oil absorbed by the vegetable without affecting taste or texture.
4. Add to your pasta sauce. Roasted aubergine adds bulk so you can cut the amount of pasta served. And with tomato pasta sauce it makes two veg portions, not one.
5. For a lighter summer alternative to hummus, scoop the flesh from aubergines barbecued until their skin is black and insides very soft. Mash with garlic, lemon juice, mint and a splash of olive oil.
© Daily Mail