Closely related to the French Ratatouille and the Spanish Pisto, Caponata is the soul and essence of Sicilian cuisine.
It’s a sweet-sour Italian chunky veggie jam, where the star is the mellow flavored eggplant, making it a perfect vessel for absorbing all manner of splendid flavors. Raisins and toasted pine nuts are thrown in which reflect the Arab overtones ever present at the Sicilian table, although, there are recipes of Caponata that exclude these two ingredients, so each seasoned chef presents their own version.
The extraordinarily versatile Caponata is a perfect topping for bruschetta, and served as a room temperature accompaniment to meats, grilled fish and seafood, on top of hummus as well as the characteristic compliment to antipasto starters when it is served at room temperature. It’s equally as magnificent in a grilled chicken sandwich.
Spread some Caponata on both sides of a baguette roll, place some sliced grilled chicken on top and add some arugula drizzled with EVOO with a splash of balsamic vinegar and loads of fresh basil. Talk about elevating a chicken sandwich!
1 red bell pepper – cut into small cubes
2 stalks of celery – cut into small cubes
2 medium sized unpeeled eggplants – cut into 1” cubes
1 small red onion sliced
2 garlic cloves – minced
2 TBSP tomato paste
5 plum tomatoes – skins removed and diced
15 medium sized pitted green Manzanilla olives – cut into slices
1 TBSP drained capers
1 TBSP of Champagne vinegar
1 TSP white balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP honey
Pinch red pepper flakes
¼ cup of toasted pine nuts
¼ cup of chopped prunes
Chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup of fresh basil – cut into chiffonade
On a cookie sheet lined with paper towels, spread the cubed eggplant and sprinkle it with some Kosher salt, tossing gently. Allow it to sit 30 minutes until small beads of moisture appear on the flesh. Blot well with paper towels.
Add the celery to a pot with boiling water to remove some of the crispness, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In the same boiling water, dunk the tomatoes for about 2 minutes to remove their skins, remove some of their seeds and rough chop them.
Fry the cubed eggplant in batches, drain in paper towels and gently blot any excess oil.
In a medium Dutch oven, add some of the oil from frying the eggplant and sauté the onion for a few minutes with a pinch of salt. Add celery and tomato paste and cook for another minute. Incorporate the capers, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste, raisins, vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes. Allow the veggies to simmer for about 7-8 minutes and mix in the reserved, fried eggplant. Simmer for about 5 minutes tossing gently so the eggplant doesn’t get smashed. Toss in the basil chiffonade and pine nuts prior to serving. (The eggplant was salted prior to frying and with the addition of the capers and olives, which are already salty it may not need any extra salt). Remove to a platter and cool.
NOTE
Eggplants have a tendency of being bitter, salting them removes the bitterness. Additionally, the salt breaks down the cells and thus it precludes them from absorbing too much of the oil when frying. If you have time to spare, covering the Caponata with plastic wrap while it cools and letting it sit for at least 2 hours, will give it an even more elevated flavor. It’s better on the second day and served at room temperature. Keeps one week in the fridge.
