ONCE we have turned the clocks back I feel we

have had it for a long duration. Those terrible early evenings fill me with gloom. It is dark in the morning whatever they do, so why ruin the afternoon as well? There is talk of it being abolished (Green- wich Mean Time), aligning Britain per- manently with European time, which should have been done years ago if the farmers, north Scotland and the construc- tion industry hadn't put the kibosh on it. Roll on time change, quicker the better.

Paradoxically the weather seems better than the summer, which ain't difficult, and the market is full of good and cheap vegetables. The aubergines were looking especially shiny and plump, so I thought to cook them in the Catalan way, which I had forgotten about until having them in Pen- rith this summer dished up by the ravishing Annie Liddell.

Aubergines en gigot

You must get the amount of aubergines you want, making sure they are very shiny, plump and unblemished. When dull and getting wrinkly they are nearly always dry and discoloured inside.

What you are meant to do is to make two rows of little incisions into each whole, unpeeled aubergine, then insert tiny strips of smoked bacon and slithers of garlic which have been rolled in fresh ground salt, pepper and marjoram into alternate niches. I find this operation devilish tricky so instead I cut two whole-length incisions at 20-past and 20-to and stuff them with the herbed bacon and garlic. Place them in a casserole, pour some good olive oil over them with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, cover the dish and bake in a slow oven for about an hour, or until well cooked through. Pierced with a skewer, they should be totally soft. Serve as a first course or a savoury. They are excellent cold, sliced open, salted with some fresh oil trickled over' them.

Frances Bissell has done it again. She has written another very good cook book which would be ideal for Digby Anderson's poor Gavin (15 October) when he has progressed from his pasta cooking. Ten Dinner Parties for Two by Frances Bissell (Ebury Press, £8.95) is a collection of treats and easy meals from her home dinners with her husband, and very deli- cious and original they are too. I have just cooked my first oxtail thii season. I do it with Guinness. This is Frances's method with wine.

Oxtail stew for two

1 generous lb of oxtail 1 small onion, sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed

5 fluid oz of good red wine 1/2 teaspoon dill weed

V2 teaspoon of chestnut or potato flour 1 teaspoon of blueberry, bilberry or cherry jam 2 teaspoons of malt whisky or kirsch salt and freshly ground pepper

Trim as much fat as possible from the chunks of oxtail and fry until well browned in a nonstick frying pan. (If you haven't got one use a little oil in a good heavy pan.) Transfer to a casserole. Cook the onion in the frying pan until just browning, add the garlic and fry together for 30 seconds. Pour on the wine and add the dill seed, cook for another 30 seconds then pour over the oxtail. Cover and barely simmer for two hours.

Remove the oxtail from the sauce. Cool it rapidly, cover and refrigerate overnight. Do the same with the sauce, sieving it first.

Next day separate the meat from the bone and scrape the fat from the top of the sauce. Place the meat and the sauce in a pan and heat slowly. Mix the flour with a little water and stir into the stew. When it has thickened slightly add the jam, then season to taste. About five minutes before serving pour in the spirit; the alcohol will have evaporated by the time you serve the dish. Tiny new potatoes go well with the stew .

Another original first course and a feast to the eye is

Quails' eggs baked in new potatoes

6 small new potatoes (2 oz. each) 6 quails' eggs 1 oz unsalted butter

Scrub the potatoes, scoop out a hollow in each potato with the large end of a melon bailer. Remove a very thin slice from each bottom to allow it to stand steady. Boil the potatoes until just cooked. Drain. Brush the potatoes inside and out with melted butter, season lightly and stand on an oiled baking tray. Crack an egg into each potato. Bake in the top half of a preheated oven at Gas 4, F 350, C 180 for 8 to 10 minutes, and serve immediately.

Jennifer Paterson