Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the asparagus.

Bring a sauce pan 3/4 full of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and salt and cook until the spears are just beginning to bend when lifted by the stem, 5-7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

Wrap each asparagus spear in one slice of prosciutto and place in the baking dish.

Dot with the butter and sprinkle with the cheese and pepper.

Bake in the oven until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Serve hot directly from the dish.

Finely chop the tomato and onion. In a bowl mix the tomato, onion, basil, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the slices of Italian bread in a broiler or toaster oven until lightly browned. Remove and brush the remaining olive oil on one side of the bread. Place the bread back in the broiler or toaster oven until the bread becomes crisp and crunchy. Remove and add the tomato mixture on top of each slice.

Put the diced aubergines into a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 15-20 minutes to exude their bitter juices. Rinse under running cold water to remove any salt and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and saute until soft and golden. Add the celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the aubergine and cook gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the passata and cook gently until it has been absorbed. Spoon in the wine vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the peppers, anchovies, capers, olives and pine nuts, if liked, and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish and bake, covered, in a preheated oven at 180° C (350° F) Gas Mark 4 for about 1 hour. Serve lukewarm or cold sprinkled with chopped parsley.