This summer we are swapping the Mediterranean for Burgundy. The food and wine will be delicious where we are staying, but part of me longs for the sun-baked olive oil and vinegar-steeped flavours of southern Europe. There the fruit is full, heavy and sweet, the roads are lined with lavender and olive groves and the influences of Africa and the Middle East have long permeated the cuisine.

The sweet-sour “agrodolce” flavours of Arabia are particularly felt in Sicily and Greece, where capers, olives and aubergines are in abundance and fig trees sag with the weight of ripe fruit dripping with sticky juices.

This week I am cooking in homage to all these ingredients: the first recipe is a mouth-watering and deeply satisfying classic, and the second an invention inspired by idyllic holidays in Greece, with tahini, honey and those wonderful figs. As in the Med, both recipes taste infinitely better with ripe fruit and vegetables. Long live the summer.

Aubergine caponata

Aubergine is known as poor man’s meat, but there is nothing poor about the rich flavours of this simple supper dish. Serves four.

4 aubergines
Salt
5 large vine tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the final bake
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Large handful each of parsley and marjoram or thyme leaves, chopped
2 tbsp capers in brine, plus a little of the brine from the jar
Handful of kalamata or other juicy black olives, stoned and roughly chopped
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
½-1 tsp brown sugar, depending on sweetness of tomatoes
4 tbsp breadcrumbs, optional
3-4 tbsp finely grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Slice the two largest aubergines in half lengthways and score them in a 0.5cm-deep criss-cross pattern, salt and leave to drain upside down over a wire rack for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, top and tail the other two aubergines, cut into 2-3cm rough cubes, salt and drain in a colander for 20 minutes. While they are draining, cover the tomatoes with boiling water, leave for 30 seconds, drain and peel. Roughly chop the flesh.

Rinse and pat the aubergine dry. Scoop out the flesh of the four halves and place the boat-like skins on a baking tray. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes until soft.

Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a high heat and add all the remaining aubergine flesh with the rest of the oil and some salt. Cook on a high heat for five to 10 minutes until turning golden, stirring every minute or so. Add the red onion, garlic and herbs and cook for a further five minutes, adding a splash more oil if needed. Add the capers and olives, followed by the tomatoes and vinegar. Season with salt, pepper and the sugar, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until thick and tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Spoon a generous helping of caponata into the aubergine boats, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and parmesan and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Put back in the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are golden and crunchy and the parmesan has melted.

Serve with rice and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Figs with tahini frozen yoghurt and sesame seeds

The not-so-sweet flavour of this pudding, with its hint of sea salt, makes you want to keep going back for more. Serves six.

500g full-fat greek yoghurt
2-3 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp fine sea salt
6-10 figs
2 tbsp maple syrup
To serve
2-3 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Extra-virgin olive oil, optional

Whisk together the yoghurt, honey, tahini, lemon juice and salt and taste. The yoghurt will taste less sweet when frozen, so you may want a little more honey if you have a sweet tooth. Pour into an ice-cream machine and churn for 45 minutes until softly frozen. When it is ready, transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least four hours. If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze for an hour, then whisk it every hour for a further three hours then leave to freeze.

Heat the grill to its highest setting. Place the figs on a baking tray, drizzle with the maple syrup, then grill for 10 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool slightly.

Remove the ice-cream from the freezer 10 minutes before you are ready for pudding and then scoop into bowls with the warm figs. Drizzle with extra honey and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and, if you like, a tiny scrunch of extra sea salt and a drop or two of your finest olive oil.

And for the rest of the week

You may not be able to cram all the aubergine filling into the boats. If not, keep it in the fridge and use to stuff tomatoes or courgettes at another sitting – it would be delicious with currants and pine nuts scattered through. The yoghurt is also delicious with roast grapes or grilled peaches and so low in sugar that it makes a fairly virtuous and refreshing addition to breakfast spooned on to hot porridge.