Caponata

Sicilian caponata is a tasty salad or relish made of eggplant with onions, celery, and tomatoes and augmented with tangy olives and capers.

Prep – 20 minutes mins
Cook – 45 minutes mins
Serves – 6 people

Equipment

• Sheet Pan
• Braising pan or large skillet

Ingredients  

• ▢ 1 large eggplant 1 ¼ lb or so, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ Extra virgin olive oil I used Private Reserve EVOO
• ▢ 1 yellow onion chopped
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper cored and chopped
• ▢ 2 small celery stalks thinly sliced
• ▢ Black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 2 tbsp capers
• ▢ ¼ cup pitted green olives roughly chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup raisins
• ▢ 2 teaspoons honey more to your liking
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ ¼ tsp to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup dry white wine
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Instructions 

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Season the eggplant cubes with salt (if you have the time, set it aside in a colander to sweat out its bitterness for about 20 or 30 minutes, while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Pat dry with paper towel).
• Place the seasoned eggplant cubes on a sheet pan, add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (about 3 tablespoons or so) and toss to coat. Roast the eggplant in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, tossing regularly until softened.
• Add the tomatoes, capers, olives, raisins, honey, bay leaf and crushed pepper flakes. Pour in the vinegar and white wine. Stir to combine. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the roasted eggplant and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes in the sauce. Finish with fresh parsley and mint.

Notes

• Cook’s Tip: Salting the eggplant and allowing it to sit for a few minutes helps it “sweat out” any bitterness and improves its spongy texture. a If you have the time, leave the salted eggplant in a colander for 20 minutes or so while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 
• For best flavor: Let the caponata sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving, or store in the fridge overnight and serve cold or at room temperature. I like to serve it with toasted Italian bread such as ciabatta .
• If serving with toasted ciabatta: Slice the bread and brush each slice with a bit  of extra virgin olive oil on both sides. Arrange on a sheet pan and toast in your heated oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown (I do this while the eggplant is roasting). 

Nutrition

Calories: 91.3kcal
Carbohydrates: 15g
Protein: 2.2g
Fat: 1.3g
Saturated Fat: 0.2g
Sodium: 228.9mg
Potassium: 435.4mg
Fiber: 4.7g
Sugar: 8.2g
Vitamin A: 955.2IU
Vitamin C: 34.7mg
Calcium: 35.3mg
Iron: 1.2mg