Sicilian-Style Caponata

Don’t we all agree that Italian antipasti are divine? In my case I have to add, …especially when there’s eggplant involved. I didn’t have to do much research to find out that Caponata originated in Sicily. There are probably as many different ‘original’ versions of this wonderful dish as there are families, but all evolve around the main ingredient: eggplants. Caponata is perfect as an appetizer, but I love to serve it as a main dish with polenta during the hot summer months as well. Even better the next day and therefore excellent to make ahead of time for a buffet or party.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 2 lb (900 g) firm, plump eggplant(s), diced into about ¾ inch (2 cm) pieces
• 2 lb (900 g) flavorful tomatoes, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (omit if you don’t like it a little spicy)
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced (I used lighter ones that were closer to the center)
• ½ cup (80 g) sliced Kalamata olives
• 2 generous Tbsp capers
• 1½ – 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup (50 g) pine nuts
• fresh basil to taste, minced (leave some for decoration)
• fresh thyme leaves

Serving suggestion:

• with Italian bread
• with polenta as a main dish (gluten free)

Preparation:

Wash and cut all the veggies.

Preheat a small frying pan over medium heat (no oil), then add pine nuts. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes until they have a golden to light brown color. Remove from heat immediately!

Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil, then diced onion, and sauté for about 8 minutes.

Add eggplant and cook for about 5 more minutes while stirring frequently.

Now add tomatoes, garlic, Celtic sea salt, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the eggplant is tender. Stir occasionally. You might have to turn down the heat a little, but keep the Caponata at a steady simmer.

Turn off heat.

Add celery, olives, capers, maple syrup, white balsamic vinegar, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Stir in pine nuts and leave some for topping, if you want.

Let the Caponata cool down at room temperature. Best the next day, but store in the fridge! Add basil and thyme right before serving. Enjoy!

            Serving suggestion with polenta

Notes:

• I like the Caponata best the next day at room temperature. Just take it out of the fridge an hour before serving.
• As you might have noticed, I always omit the step of salting and draining eggplants. In my opinion it’s unnecessary, if you use fresh, plump, and firm fruits. If you feel better including that step, please do so. You might have to cut down on the salt in the recipe though.
• This is one of the eggplants I used. It was fresh from the store, shiny, firm, and had a green stem.

• And this is how it looked inside.