Caponata Palermitana

• 30 minutes to prepare • 90 minutes to cook • Serves 4

Agrodolce II

 

The Sicilian caponata recipe has almost 30 variations, all authentic and more or less known, depending on the latitude, such as the Catania's caponata, or even the baroque caponata with chocolate. 

Two elements seem to be the commonly accepted constants, eggplant and tomato, generally combined with pine nuts and fresh basil. 

What we introduce you today is the original recipe of the caponata from Palermo, with long eggplant, olives instead of peppers. 

An easy recipe for a summer appetizer!

Here are ingredients for a 4-serving recipe:

 

2 medium eggplants, cubed
90 g pitted green olives
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
700 g ripe San Marzano tomatoes, peeled
1 chopped celery
3 tablespoons capers packed in salt, rinsed for 30 minutes
2 tablespoons raisins, rinsed for 30 minutes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons pine nuts
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. In a colander, toss eggplant with several tablespoons of salt. Place colander in sink and let sit 30 minutes, allowing juices to drain. Rinse eggplant under water, then blot dry with a paper towel. Set aside
2. Heat abundant EVO oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. When the oil is very hot and glistening, fry eggplant cubes, tossing occasionally, until browned (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a large plate. Heat the remaining olive oil and fry the peppers. Transfer to the plate with the eggplant batch and reserve
3. Meanwhile, in a large frypan, saute the chopped onion in 4 tablespoons of EVO oil, gently, for about 10 minutes
4. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the celery, and gently simmer for about 30 minutes
5. Add fried eggplant, vinegar, sugar, pine nuts and stir until blended. Go on with the cooking for 20 minutes
6. Remove from heat. Add olives and let rest, covered, several hours to allow flavors to meld

Nutrition Facts are detailed in the table below. Data is provided per serving.