Caponata is a Sicilian dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, onions and celery. It is cooked gently in olive oil adding the capers, olives, vinegar and sugar in the last 10 minutes. Sicilian Caponata can be served warm or at room temperature, topped with toasted almonds and parsley or cold as an appetizer with crusty bread or crackers.
Sicilian Caponata Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 large eggplants
1kg Roma tomatoes, skins and cores removed
¾ cup olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
700g tomato passata
1 tbsp capers, chopped
½ cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
½ cup almonds, toasted, chopped, to serve
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Method
Cut the eggplant into small chunks. Layer in a colander, sprinkling each layer with a little salt. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Roughly chop the tomatoes.
Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until pulpy, then add the passata. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 30-40 minutes or until thick, adding the capers, olives, vinegar and sugar in the last 10 minutes.
Rinse and dry the eggplant. Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a large frying pan; fry a quarter of the eggplant until soft and deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat, adding extra oil as necessary, until all the eggplant has been fried.
Add the eggplant to the tomato sauce, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and allow to stand for at least 1 hour.
Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with toasted almonds and parsley.
