May 16, 2015

Eggplant Caponata

Eggplant Caponata is one of those dishes that encompasses Sicilian flavor! The mix of savory, sweet & sour will have your taste buds dancing with delight! There may be a few steps to this dish but its well worth the finished result!

Eggplant caponata is so versatile and taste delicious whether its hot out of the pan, at room temp or slightly chilled for antipasto! Place a heaping spoonful over your pasta, pair with fish or meat or simply eat with a crusty piece of bread!

I’m sure every Sicilian has their own variation to this dish and even my great grandmother made it slightly different then we do. My eggplant caponata is my Mothers’ recipe with the exception of green olives because I just so happen to be fresh out! However, I definitely recommend adding them!

You will need:

2 eggplants
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup black & green olives
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup raisins
2 sm garlic cloves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons sugar
olive oil, salt & pepper to taste

* This dish doesn’t require precise measurements ~ just feel it out & always taste along the way 😉

Wash & chop your eggplant into small cubes.

Heat your pan with olive oil. Sauté your eggplant in batches with a pinch of sea salt. Be ready to use a fair amount of olive oil as eggplant soaks it up like a sponge!

Cook until softened & slightly browned. Remove and place in a bowl. Start with a second batch and repeat until you have cooked down two eggplants.

Finely chop cherry tomatoes, garlic, black & green olives, raisins & capers.

In the same pan, cook down your cherry tomatoes & garlic. Add your chopped olives, raisins & capers and continue to cook down.

Add your cooked eggplant to your tomato mixture. Season with pepper.

Add a touch of red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. Cook for another minute and then add about a cup of tomato sauce. Continue to cook down until your mixture is thick.

Your caponata should be a caramelized mixture of veggies with layers of flavor. My Mom always paired eggplant caponata with pasta so as keeping with tradition, we did as well! We hope you Enjoy & Boun Appetito!

~Christina