Barbecued Eggplant with Red Onions

I was looking at my cellphone yesterday and discovered I was no longer located in Wellington's CBD but was living in Middle-earth. It was the day the city hosted the world premiere of the third movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, "Return of the King."

The cast have become very much part of the local scene in recent years, many of them living here for extended periods. The city took them to its heart, particularly the young actors who were often spotted at night spots and local restaurants.

Yesterday there was a mass exodus from our newspaper office as we went out onto the "Wellywood" streets to watch the parade of stars drive by. They were all decked out in their premiere finery in open-top cars, escorted by many of the crowd characters from the movie in their amazing costumes. You'll find lots of pictures and stories at our newspaper group's news website http://www.stuff.co.nz/lord_of_the_rings...

A few days earlier The Spouse and I were guests at the opening of the Embassy cinema where the preview was shown. This old cinema dated back to the 1920s and had been refurbished specially for the occasion. It was certainly a worthy venue. During refurbishment some beautiful art deco embellishments had been found behind the "modernising" that had been done over the years - a gorgeous tiled staircase, exquisite floor tiles.

The plush "new" theatre once again celebrates its deco roots and lent a real sense of occasion to the screening.

This is definitely the silly season and we were out every night last week. At times like this the body starts to crave a simple home-cooked meal after a steady diet of cocktail nibbles or rich restaurant meals.

With the weather taking a turn for the better, it's barbecue time again. Today's recipe is a simple one that can be prepared as part of a barbecue meal, or cooked inside in a pan or in the oven.

Barbecued Eggplant with Red Onions

1 or 2 eggplants
3 large red onions
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon each fresh chopped thyme and marjoram
Maldon salt
freshly ground pepper
balsamic vinegar
chopped parsley

First prepare the oil. Place it in a bowl with the garlic, herbs and lemon juice. Set aside to steep for about half an hour. Cut the eggplant and peeled onions into horizontal rings, about 1.5cm thick. Brush with the seasoned oil then place on a hot grill. Cook for three or four minutes then turn and cook the other side.

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