Eggplant & goat's cheese pinchos with balsamic raisin & pumpkinseed pesto

This cute little thing is one of thye most requested items in my menus.
It's a great addition to any cocktail party or tapas spread.

Start by slicing the eggplants lenghtwise and placing them on an oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the slices with S&P.
Roast in a medium hot oven until the edges start getting some colour and the eggplant turns tender.
Delicately remove the slices from the baking sheet whilst still warm and let them cool off.

While the eggplant cools, work on the pesto.
In a blender, or robot, place Italian parsley, fresh mint,pumpkinseed, raisin, a bit of chili flakes, garlic to taste, 1 part of balsamic vinegar, 3 parts of the best olive oil and blend/pulse until you'll have a quite coarse but fluid product. Season with salt and pepper and adjust with a bit of sugar and more vinegar as needed.
You'll want to achieve a balance between the herbs and the sweetness of the raisin ... you'll know whn you'll get it right.

Next, smear a bit of room temperature goat's cheese( a soft one, like a Montrachet...) and a tiny bit of the pesto on the eggplant slices; roll'em up and secure with a skewer ( or, if you feel really fancy, with a thime sprig...) and place on serving plate. Make the pinchos look nice and drizzle liberally with the pesto.
Enjoy your success!

Peaches, arugula, goat's cheese and pumpkin seeds salad

Here's a fresh salad and rich salad from sunny Baja:

You'll need to toast a handful of pumpkin seeds (pepitas, in Spanish) in a dry skillet, over medium heat. You'll know when they're ready because they´ll start popping and flying all over the stove top     :  )        

Prepare the dressing by mixing 1 measure of honey, 2 measures of olive oil, 1 measure of your choice of vinegar - I like sherry for this one,  some finely minced shallot, a touch of Dijon mustard  and season with S&P .

In a bowl toss the arugula and the wedges of peach with the dressing; arrange casually on a plate and top with soft goat's cheese, like Montrachet , and a sprinkle of chopped and whole pumpkin seeds.

Pronto!  Enjoy.