Eggplant Caponata
Makes about 3 quarts; 1 quart serves 4 to 6
Recipe from Sylvia’s Table: Fresh, Seasonal Recipes from Our Farm to Your Family by Liz Neumark with Carole Lalli
A sweet-and-sour Sicilian-style dish that keeps well, freezes beautifully, and only gets better as it sits. Great with cheese, alongside grilled meats or fish, or even with eggs.
A little goes a long way — this sweet-and-sour classic keeps beautifully, freezes well, and only gets better with time. Delicious with cheese, alongside grilled meat or fish, or even spooned over eggs.
Ingredients:
¾ cup golden raisins
Olive oil
3 medium eggplants, washed but not peeled, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 medium onions, diced (about 3 cups)
¾ cup peeled and diced celery
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1–2 yellow bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and diced
1–2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and diced
¾ cup capers in vinegar, drained and roughly chopped
¾ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 cups peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped parsley
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Soak the raisins in lukewarm water to soften; set aside.
Heat enough oil to generously coat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the eggplant until tender, in batches if needed, adding oil as necessary. Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and cool.
Add more oil to the pan and cook the onions, celery, and garlic with the thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper until tender, stirring occasionally.
Add the peppers, capers, vinegar, sugar, and tomatoes; drain and add the raisins. Cook until slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with more vinegar or sugar to balance sweet and acid.
Cool the pepper mixture to room temperature, then fold in the eggplant.
Fold in the parsley before serving. Best at room temperature — never serve cold.