Sicilian Eggplant Relish Caponata Recipes

CAPONATA RECIPE (SICILIAN EGGPLANT RELISH)

Steps:

• Toss the eggplant with 3 tablespoons oil and spread it out on a baking sheet. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 20 to 25 minutes in a 425F oven, tossing once halfway through.
• While the eggplant roasts, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened and starting to brown in spots, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and tomato and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the stock, turn the heat down to medium-low to low, cover the skillet, and cook until the tomatoes are starting to soften, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the eggplant to the tomato mixture and cook (covered) over low until the eggplant is very soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook (uncovered) until thickened, about 2 to 5 minutes.
• Serve warm, room temperature, or cold topped with pine nuts and basil.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Steps:

• Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

CAPONATA - SICILIAN EGGPLANT RELISH

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté eggplant cubes till soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Plate them out on a paper towel lined plate.
• In the same pan, discard excess oil leaving behind 2-3 Tbsp. Add onions and sauté till light brown in color. Add in garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Add in chopped bell peppers along with celery and cook for a couple of minutes. Add in salt and pepper. Add in tomatoes and mix everything well.
• Mix in olives, capers, raisins, red chili flakes, red wine vinegar and honey. Simmer for 10 minutes
• Add in chopped parsley along with fried eggplant cubes. Mix well and let everything cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings. Garnish with parsley.

CAPONATINA SICILIANA (EGGPLANT, OLIVE, AND CELERY APPETIZER)

Steps:

• Trim the eggplants, cut them into 1-inch cubes, and transfer them to a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let them stand for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain well, and pat dry. In a bowl, combine the black olives, green olives, and capers. Cover with warm water and let them plump for 20 minutes. Drain well. In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the celery for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and pat dry. In a large skillet set over moderately high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil until hot. Add the eggplant in small batches and cook it, stirring occasionally and adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to prevent sticking, until just tender and golden brown. Transfer the fried eggplant to a bowl and, adding oil and water as needed, fry the remaining eggplant. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat until hot over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender. Add the tomato sauce, 2 cups of water, the reserved eggplant, olives, capers, celery, and salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and vinegar, stirring until dissolved. Add the sugar mixture to the eggplant mixture and stir to combine. Transfer the caponatina to a bowl, let it cool to room temperature, and chill it, covered, for 1 to 2 days to allow the flavors to blend.

SICILIAN EGGPLANT CAPONATA

Steps:

• Combine eggplant and salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a colander, place a plate on the eggplant and weigh down the plate with cans. Set the colander in the sink to drain for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bay leaves and let sizzle for about 1 minute to flavor the oil. Stir in onions and celery. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes; do not let them brown. Add tomatoes and capers, increase heat to medium and cook; stirring occasionally, just until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes. Stir in olives; transfer everything to a large bowl.
• When the eggplant is ready, rinse under running water to get rid of as much salt as possible. Dry thorougly on paper towels.
• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in the same skillet over medium heat until very hot. Add the eggplant and cook, tossing and stirring, until softened, 10-15 minutes. Add chiles and cook, stirring, until they are softened, 5-10 minutes. Transfer the eggplant and peppers to the bowl with the tomato mixture and gently stir to combine.
• Whisk vinegar and honey in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer until thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir into the vegetables along with parsley and basil. Serve at room temperature.