It seems clear that the weather is a metaphor for life. Unpredictable and perverse, it can bring joy and sorrow within a single day.

The rain that ruins one person’s outdoor function makes another’s day.

The sun that I, for one, crave, sends others scurrying for shelter. As for all that talk of slow-moving depressions and high pressure — it sounds like a typical day in an office to me.

You may not be able to rely on it, but you can learn to roll with the punches and enjoy whatever the meteorological system (hah — you call that a system?) brings.

In the past few weeks, the weather has been taking a personal and mischievous interest in this humble little food column.

It keeps an eye on me. It knows my deadlines. If I publish a barbecue recipe, it rains the same day. A soup? It’s a heatwave.

After weeks of solid sunshine, I ran my beautiful summer porridge recipe, a refreshing, cooling mix of rolled oats, grated apple, banana, yoghurt and honey, on a day that was dark and grey with clouds.

So now I’m having a bet each way, with a warm salad of aubergine, tomato and mozzarella. If it’s a bit cool today, then it’s no hardship to have the oven on to do a bit of baking.

If the weather is a bit warm, do the baking earlier and let the vegetables and cheese cool to room temperature before serving.

If it’s really, really hot, then save the recipe for tomorrow. It’s sure to be cold and wet again by then.

Ingredients

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 30 min

Serves 4

2 large aubergine (800g)
20 cherry tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
2 fresh mozzarella balls, drained
Handful of basil leaves

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Coat the cherry tomatoes in olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until squishy and bursting their skins. Meanwhile, heat a ridged cast iron grill or barbecue.

Thickly slice the aubergine crosswise, brush with olive oil, season, and grill on both sides until well marked. Arrange the aubergine in four slightly overlapping circles in a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Arrange the roasted tomatoes on top. Tear off small clumps of mozzarella and scatter on top, season well, and bake for five minutes or until the mozzarella melts. Transfer to dinner plates, drizzle with a little extra olive oil, and scatter with basil leaves and serve.

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