Few things in life compare to the sublime taste of a well made eggplant Caponata.
Though Caponata means pickled, if sour vegetable slivers come to mind, you couldn't be further from the truth. It's best to think of it as eggplant melding with delicious flavors. Overnight.
Traditionally, glossy Italian (not Asian) eggplants are cut into chunks and fried in olive oil to soften. Onions are sautéed and plump, ripe tomatoes are added along with celery, capers, pine nuts, olives and parsley.
Red wine vinegar and sugar is added in a perfect balance of flavors. The resulting, robust and full flavored caponata is stored in the refrigerator in sterilized jars where it will happily keep for several weeks.
Only one problem with that - you won't give it a chance to keep. Once you've heaped enormous globs of this wonderful creation on crust bread and bit into it, you'll keep coming for more. I for one, heap it on everything from pan seared fish to butter lettuce!
A must when a crowd needs feeding, this is one of the finest vegetable creations to come out of Sicily and the fact that it is so very delicious and must be made a few days in advance which is all the more reason to add this to your culinary repertoire.
warmly,
Devaki
Recipe for
Sicilian Eggplant Caponata from Palermo
Serves 4-6 – for appetizer
Shopping list:
2 large purple, glossy and firm eggplants (not Asian)
olive oil for shallow frying
2 tsp sea salt for roasting
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil for cooking
yellow onions, 2 yield 2 cups chopped
2 celery stalks
2 tbsp. capers, drained
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1⁄2 cup Castelvetrano green olives, pitted and hand-torn
San Marzano canned tomatoes, 4 tomatoes and sauce
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
To serve ~
sliced & toasted Italian bread slices
Preparation:
Eggplant: Cut away the woody top and discard. Slice lengthwise into 1⁄2-3/4”" thick (no
thinner) slices and chop into cubes. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in a colander for 15
minutes. Dry with kitchen paper towels.
Onions: Peel, discard ends and skin. Quarter each onion and finely slice into quarter-
circles
Celery: Cut away the bottom 2 inches and the top leaves. Dice into 1/4" pieces.
Method:
1. For the eggplant, heat a 10” non-stick skillet on medium-high and add enough
olive oil so that the olive oil reaches 3⁄4” height in the pan. Heat until the oil is
quite hot.
2. Add some of the eggplant so not to overcrowd the pan and fry until soft and
golden brown. Remove to a kitchen paper lined plate and repeat with the
remaining eggplant in batches until all the eggplant is fried.
3. Meanwhile, use the same olive oil and measure 1/3 cup to a large heavy-duty pan.
