Baking purple aubergines and dark-skinned figs to the point of collapse brings out the best of the autumn fruits

In a moment of teary-eyed frustration I ripped out every last tomato plant, aubergine and even the usually indestructible squash. Browning leaves, blight-infected tomatoes and sodden dumpling squashes all went (and not on the compost either, which would just send the spores round in circles). The wetness of the late summer and early autumn has done no favours for other late-ripening fruits and vegetables, such as figs and aubergines.Only rainbow chard, pots of cheery red chillies and a few (delicious) pot-grown potatoes and carrots currently survive in my veg plot.

Aubergines work in our climate when they are against a hot wall or kept prisoner behind glass. Last summer mine did well; this summer they just sat there sulking. I like growing aubergines at home for the beauty of their lilac flowers, the downy softness of their leaves and the fact that I can grow the slim finger varieties I can't always find in the shops. Indian and Middle Eastern grocers often have them; they bake or fry quickly and without soaking up your entire bottle of oil. You can slit them, grill them and toss them with yellow miso paste and sesame seeds.

I rarely skin a small aubergine, but I do get the paring knife around the true whoppers whose skin can be on the chewy side, or better still, pull the skin off once they are cooked. It's a pleasing enough job. This week I came home with fat, British-grown aubergines with striped skins, chopped and roasted them, then mashed them with garlic and thyme into a thick paste. Olive oil thinned the mixture to a silky spreadable consistency. Great with jagged lumps of bread, crumbs of feta cheese and chopped mint, but that seemed too obvious an end.

A cream of roast aubergine, seasoned with garlic and herbs, can be used as a sauce for pasta (wonderful with tubloads of basil), as a side dish for a roast pheasant or to smother over hot, salty lamb cutlets. Instead I spread the smooth bronze paste on to rectangles of crisp cheese pastry and served them as open tarts with a criss-cross of anchovies and capers: a resounding triumph and something I would be happy to eat as a main dish if they came with a dish of roast tomatoes or maybe some sautéed courgette on the side.

The other black-as-night ingredient in this week's shopping basket were locally grown figs. Not mine, whose second flush has yet to show its hand, but darker, denser and more crimson within. These seedy little numbers were sliced in half, brushed with a sweet boozy lotion of honey and dry Marsala and cooked under a hot grill until they were almost collapsing under theretheir own weight. Left to settle, their juices became slightly jammy and saw off any need for cream.

In that state, dripping with ruby juices and so soft you could almost drink them through a straw, my little figs would have made a good filling for a tart, too. Perhaps something like the cheese pastry above but with goat's cheese instead of cheddar. Their sweetness would only have added an extraordinary intrigue.





Warm aubergine tarts

You can use puff pastry for these tarts if you wish, scattered with grated parmesan just before baking, but the handmade pastry – like a very cheesy biscuit – works even better. It doesn't take long to make. If capers aren't your thing, then a few sliced olives – purple or green – might be an interesting substitute.

Serves 4

aubergines 600g

onion 1 large

olive oil 6 tbsp

thyme 4 sprigs

garlic 2 cloves

anchovy fillets 16

capers 1 tsp, or a few olives

to finish: olive oil 60ml



For the pastry:

butter 80g

self-raising flour 120g

mature cheddar 40g

finely grated parmesan 50g

egg yolk 1

milk 1 tbsp



Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the aubergines into small cubes about 2cm in diameter, then place in one layer in a large roasting tin or baking dish. Remove the skins from the garlic, finely crush the cloves to a paste and add to the aubergines. Pour over a good 6 tbsp of olive oil, then pull the leaves from the thyme sprigs, add them to the aubergines with a generous grinding of salt and pepper, then toss until lightly coated in the oil and seasonings.

Bake the aubergines for 60 minutes or so, tossing once or twice during cooking, until they are soft enough to crush with a fork. While the aubergines are baking, make the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs, then add the grated cheeses, egg yolk and milk. Bring the mixture together to form a ball then knead lightly for a minute – no longer – then wrap in greaseproof paper or kitchen film and leave in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.

Cut the pastry into eight equal pieces then roll each into a thin rectangle measuring roughly 12cm x 10cm. Transfer to a baking sheet, then bake for about 10 minutes until pale golden and lightly crisp.

Remove the aubergines from the oven as soon as they are tender. Reserve about a quarter of the mixture as it is, then put the remainder in a food processor and blend to a stiff paste. Pour in the 60ml of oil and blend until smooth and spreadably soft. Spread the mashed, roasted aubergines over the pastry, criss-cross each with four anchovies, capers or a couple of olives.





Grilled black figs with Marsala



I like this made with small, intensely sweet black figs. If you have any other sort they may need a little longer under the grill, or may be better baked. The recipe will also work with very ripe plums.

Serves 4

ripe figs 10

thick honey 2 tbsp

dry Marsala 125ml



Heat an overhead grill. Wipe the figs tenderly and cut them in half. Place them, cut side up and in a single layer, in a baking dish or roasting tin.

Warm the honey and Marsala in a pan, stirring until the honey has melted, then pour it over the figs.

Grill the figs for 10 minutes or so, until they are dark and soft, basting them from time to time with the juices to keep the figs moist. Leave the figs to calm down for 10 minutes before serving. During this time the juices will thicken very slightly.

Serve the figs, spooning the juices over as you go.



Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or visit theguardian.com/profile/nigelslater for all his recipes in one place