Caponata
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplants sliced ½ inch thick and salted
- 1 lb onions diced
- 4 stalks celery chopped in ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup pitted green olives cut in half
- 1 lb tomatoes
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 grinds pepper
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 7 tbsp wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Sicilian capers
Instructions
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Place eggplant slices on paper towels to weep (remove excess moisture) for 30 minutes
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While eggplant is draining bitter juices onto paper towels, blanch celery
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Blanch tomatoes and press through a sieve. (If you like chunks of tomato in your caponata, save ¼ of them set aside and chopped.)
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After 30 minutes, rinse eggplant and pat dry. Cut into cubes
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Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a pan and sauté the eggplants on all sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil
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Add 3 tbsp olive oil into pan and sauté onions until translucent
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Add celery, olives, and sieved tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5 minutes
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Add sugar, vinegar (or lemon juice), capers, and eggplant (and rest of tomatoes if some were chopped). Simmer 7 minutes (or until vinegar fumes have dissipated)
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Adjust sugar and vinegar to taste. Look for balance and desired sweetness level
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Store in refrigerator and serve cold as a condiment with any meal
Recipe Notes
Any vegetables can be added to caponata. I make it from whatever is fresh in the garden.
~Merrill