How To Make The Ultimate Date Night Menu At Home

Eggplant caponata is a traditional dish from the beautiful island of Sicily. It could be described as a cooked salad made up of fried eggplant and other ingredients. It is a sweet and sour dish and many of the ingredients used in it (like pine nuts) clearly show the influence of the Arab and Middle Eastern world that permeates Sicilian culture, architecture, dialect and food.

Method:
1. Cut the eggplant into 3cm cubes and transfer to a bowl of cold salty water for 30 mins. Drain the eggplant pieces and pat dry with kitchen paper. Deep-fry in the hot vegetable oil until golden and cooked through, then place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.
2. Blanch the chopped celery in salted boiling water, then set aside and reserve the water.
3. Place the onion in a saucepan and cover with half a glass of water. Cook until the water evaporates, then add the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the onions in it for a minute or two. Add the tomato purée, capers, olives, 1 tbsp pine nuts, and the blanched celery with a little of its reserved cooking water. Cook the sauce for 5 minutes.
4. Add the fried eggplant cubes and mix gently. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, add it to the caponata and cook for 2 minutes on a medium-high flame, then take off the heat and let it cool down.

Caponata is best served at room temperature. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Meat-Free Pizza (makes 4) 
- 400 g strong white bread flour 
- 100 g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour 
- 1 large pinch fine sea salt 
- 7 g sachets of dried yeast 
- 1 large pinch golden caster sugar 

Tomato sauce (2 pizzas)
- 1 clove of garlic 
- 1/2 bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked from stalks  
- Olive oil 
- 200g tomato purée  

Toppings: 
- 85 g mozzarella cheese 
- Potatoes (par-boiled and sliced), sliced garlic clove, olive oil, a few sprigs of rosemary, squeeze of lemon

Method
1. Add the yeast and sugar to 325ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for 10 minutes.]
2. For the dough, sift the flours and salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre, then gradually pour the yeast mix into the well.
3. Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
4. Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for an hour, or until doubled in size.
6. For the sauce, heat a 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook gently for a minute. Stir in the basil leaves, tomato purée, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Leave the sauce to cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. 
7. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls, flour and leave to rest for 15 mins. 
8. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. 
9. Dust a clean surface with semolina flour and use your hands (or a rolling pin) to roll each ball into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
10. Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with semolina flour and place the pizza base on top. Add your toppings. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 4 pizzas. 
11. Place in the oven and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy. You might need to do it in batches, depending on the size of your oven. 

Whisked Away is a series by food writer and enthusiast Georgia Bateman. Unable to travel like she used to, Georgia is dreaming of places and food from around the world. Her recipes are inspired by these destinations but not intended to be true representations of local dishes.