Book excerpt: This is food that will stop you in your tracks. Maria Elia has created recipes full of sensational flavours, colours and textures - stunning, imaginative vegetarian dishes that taste fantastic. The vegetables are, of course, the stars of her show, and Maria showcases the astounding versatility of her favourites. Learn how to smoke an aubergine over a gas flame, which you can then turn into a curry, or mash and mix with potato, griddle, roll in dukkah and wrap around mozzarella; grill with miso, Japanese style; or blitz into a Mediterranean salad. Her unique `Textures of' sections give you some fantastically inspired ideas for common ingredients. With over 120 recipes divided into chapters including Stylish Starters, Sensational Mains, Sofa Suppers, Sassy Sides and Stunningly Sweet, this is truly a vegetarian adventure.