Caponata

February 10, 2010

You can definitely have too much of a good thing. While salads may be good for you, many of us start reaching saturation point and lettuce fatigue sets in. We want something really tasty to serve alongside the barbecued steak and sausages, or for a luncheon dish.

This is when I start thinking ratatouille or caponata. I like both but I think caponata has the edge when it comes to reviving the tastebuds.

This sweet and sour Sicilian dish is full of good ingredients, with capers and a quality white wine vinegar giving it that added piquancy.

Capers come in varying sizes. They can be pickled in vinegar, wine or brine or preserved in salt. I prefer those done in salt. If the caper bud is left on the plant to flower, it goes on to develop into a caperberry. These are also pickled.

Green Sicilian olives are the ones of choice for this recipe but I had only black ones on hand when preparing this dish.

You can increase the quantities if you like. Leftovers are particularly good for lunch the next day.

Caponata

2 medium eggplants
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
6 large tomatoes, skinned and diced
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons salted capers (rinse off salt)
1 tablespoons pinenuts
about 20 green olives (Sicilian if available)
1 tablespoon sultanas soaked for 10 minutes in boiling water
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Dice the eggplant. Finely slice the onion. Remove the string from the celery and chop the stalks diagonally.

Heat the olive oil in a high-sided pan and sauté the eggplant for five minutes then add the onion and celery and cook for a further five minutes.

Add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes then remove the lid, increase the heat and reduce the juice in the pan till it tickens.

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