Caponata Siciliana
A Sicilian staple, this caponata recipe is inspired by Rosticceria Da Cristina in Taormina
Ingredients:
Serves 2-4
• 2 Tbsp Pine Nuts
• 2 small eggplant (or 1 large), chopped into 1’ inch cubes, leaving the skin on
• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 red onion, diced (or the rest of your onion from the Orange Salad recipe)
• 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp Honey or Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• Handful of fresh parsley
• Handful of fresh oregano
*For a more traditional caponata and a salty kick, add chopped green olives or some capers
Recipe:
1.After prepping the ingredients, put a large nonstick saucepan or pot over medium heat.
2. While the pot is heating, find a large bowl, a spatula, and a large slotted spoon and place them next to the stove where you are cooking. This is a one-pot meal but requires everything to be cooked in stages, so these items are essential
3. In the heated pot, add pine nuts and toast until golden and brown. Once cooked, use the slotted spoon to take them out of the pan and place in bowl.
4. Add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in the eggplant, season with a generous crack of pepper and salt, and cook over medium-high heat until tender and browned. About 15 mins. Add more olive oil if needed to prevent sticking to pan.
5. Once the eggplant is cooked, use the slotted spoon to move the eggplant from pan to bowl with pine nuts.
6. Add Bell pepper to the pan and cook until tender and browned. About 7-10 Mins. Once cooked, remove from pan and add to bowl with eggplant.
7. Add tomatoes to pan. Cook until skin is blistered and soft. Remove from pan into bowl.
8. Turn heat down to medium-low, and add one more tbsp of oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery to pan. Cook until soft and almost jammy, about 7 mins.
9. Add tomato paste and continue to cook until paste is a deep red, about 3 mins
10. To the onion mixture, add honey and vinegar.
11. Take all the cooked ingredients from the bowl (pine nuts, eggplant, peppers, tomato) and put them back into the pan to combine with the onion/vinegar mixture. Stir in fresh herbs.
12. Let caponata come to room temperature, or let cool and then put in fridge to serve cold.
Notes: This will keep in the fridge for 3 days and tastes even better the next day. Best served on a nice crusty slice of bread with a glass of red wine.