Sicily, Italy
Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
Caponata
Fried eggplant in a sweet-and-sour sauce of tomato, celery, olives and capers. Sicilians serve it at room temperature beside grilled swordfish and tuna.
- Prep 20 min
- Cook 40 min
- Serves 6
- Level Medium
You need
- 2 lb (900 g) eggplant, in ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes
- 2 tsp salt
- Olive or vegetable oil for frying
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 cup tomato purée (passata)
- ½ cup green olives, pitted and halved
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Fresh basil and toasted pine nuts to finish
How to make it
- Salt the eggplant. Toss the eggplant with the salt and let it drain in a colander 30 minutes. Pat dry.
- Fry the eggplant. Fry in hot oil at 350 °F (175 °C), in batches, for 4–5 minutes until golden. Drain on paper.
- Make the sauce. In a large pan, cook the onion and celery in 3 tbsp olive oil for 8 minutes. Add the tomato, olives and capers and simmer 10 minutes.
- Sweet and sour. Stir in the vinegar and sugar and cook 2 minutes until the sharp smell softens. Fold in the eggplant and simmer 5 minutes.
- Rest. Let it cool to room temperature, ideally for a few hours. Finish with basil and pine nuts.
Photo: Massimoweb · CC BY-SA 3.0