What? I’ve never posted this recipe on the blog? That needs to be rectified as of now!
A post from Carolyn. Where this recipe came from, I’m not sure. I thought it was from Evan Kleiman, but having gone on the ‘net to look, my recipe isn’t quite like hers. Similar, but not the same. I suppose ALL caponata recipes are similar – containing eggplant, onions, celery, capers, tomatoes and olives. I’ve been making this caponata for well over 40 years.
So, what makes a great caponata? It’s Italian. It’s a combination: chewy of some textures (eggplant, olives and celery), softness of others (onions), a meld of sweet (a tiny bit of sugar and the tomatoes) and sour (some red wine vinegar) and for sure, a burst of fresh flavors. I know caponata can be purchased ready-made, and I’ve done that from time to time. But I’m here to tell you, there is nothing quite like home made caponata.
Know from the get-go that you need a couple of hours to make this. There’s a goodly amount of chopping going on (eggplant, onions, celery) but first you have to peel most of the eggplant. You can peel all of them if you prefer, but the recipe I have suggested leaving the peel on some of them to give the finished caponata an additional layer of color. Japanese eggplant are called for here (they’re supposed to be sweeter), and it’s a bit tedious to peel 2 pounds of them, I’m just sayin’.
The tomatoes need to be peeled and seeded, too, which of and by itself isn’t that much trouble, but it takes time to heat a pot of water, dunk the tomatoes in there, then remove the peel, cut them just so to remove all the seeds, then to chop up finely. The eggplant likes to sit awhile – with salt – to extract a little bit of the liquid. I have to say, maybe I got a tablespoon of discolored liquid underneath the colander after sitting for about an hour. Not much. The onion (both a yellow and a red), celery and garlic were simmered for awhile with some olive oil, until tender. All that was removed to a big bowl and then the drained and blotted-dry eggplant was added to several successive batches to be briefly browned. Finally, everything is added into the pot – along with some parsley, tomato paste, the red wine vinegar plus some water, and the little bit of sugar. That whole mixture was simmered for about 10 minutes. You do NOT want the vegetables to break down to mush – the flavor would be fine, but you want the texture of all those various ingredients to be seen and sensed on your tongue.
Taste it for salt (I ended up adding just a little) and pepper. A tablespoon of sugar was all the batch needed, and it makes about 3-4 cups when you’re all finished.
As I mentioned in my last post, I had a wine tasting event at my home (a fund-raiser), with two other friends co-hosting with me, and we served several appetizers to go along with the variety of wines. I made a special trip to go buy Cloudy Bay’s sauvignon blanc, which is a favorite of mine – if I’m going to drink white wine. Mostly I drink red. When my DH Dave and I visited New Zealand, we fell in love with Cloudy Bay wines, but particularly the sauvignon blanc. I asked the guests to taste the wine with the various appetizers, though the caponata goes better with red wine. I still have about 200 bottles of wine in the wine cellar – nearly all of them ones Dave bought – and he’s been gone for 7 years now. I gift them to friends when they invite me over, and I’ve done several wine tastings. The reds, mostly, keep for years, although I have had to pour out a few bottles of reds that didn’t cellar well. Pinot Noir and Cabs keep well. Italian reds not so much.
My friend Lois made shrimp cocktail which went well with the whites. Linda made my Crostini with Pea Puree and Yogurt & Mint. I served some cheeses, some lighter, some heavier, and the caponata will be served with pita crackers (Trader Joe’s are great). With a can of smoked albacore on hand, I also made a favorite EASY appetizer, Smoked Albacore with Red Onion. And I’ve already posted the recipe for the Outrageous Brownies which were served with the last of the darker reds. I offered to open a bottle of after-dinner wine if our guests wanted some, but everyone was topped up. The cellar has about 10 after-dinner bottles and I just don’t open those. Except for a party, I guess!
So, once you’ve made the caponata, do chill it for a day if you can spare the time. Caponata improves with a day or two of chilling – letting those flavors meld. Caponata keeps well – I’d guess it’ll keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. You could freeze it, but my guess is once thawed, the veggies would turn to mush.
What’s GOOD: the flavors are just so special. Nothing unusual in this – but the combo? Oh gosh, yes it’s good. Keeps for a couple of weeks, though eating it within 3-5 days would be best. Good to make it ahead. In fact, it’s better made a day or two ahead.
What’s NOT: only the time spent – there’s a lot of chopping and prepping of vegetables. You’ll be at or near the range for about 1 1/2 hours for sure.
printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook file (click link to open recipe)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Italian Caponata
Recipe By: unknown
Serving Size: 10
2 pounds eggplant — Japanese type
1 pound Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion — chopped
1 medium red onion — chopped
1 1/2 cups celery — chopped
1 large garlic clove — minced
1/4 cup parsley — minced
12 whole olives — Mediterranean, pitted
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper — to taste
2 tablespoons pine nuts — toasted
1. With a sharp paring knife, peel 2 eggplants; leave other eggplant unpeeled to add color and texture to the dish.
2. Cut all eggplant into 1-2-inch cubes; place cubes in colanders over paper towels, salt well and mix eggplant with your hands. Allow to drain about 30 minutes, preferably 1-2 hours, while preparing other ingredients. Peel the tomatoes by dipping a few at a time in boiling water for 5-15 seconds and then into cold water. Carefully remove skins and cut tomatoes in half. Remove and discard seeds, then dice tomatoes.
3. In a large, heavy skillet heat about 3 T olive oil and add onions. Cook about 8 minutes, until onions are soft, but not browned, stirring occasionally. Add celery, garlic and mix thoroughly. Continue cooking until all vegetables are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a large Dutch oven or roasting pot. Pat eggplant dry with paper towels to remove salt and liquid. In the same skillet, cook a single layer of eggplant, adding olive oil as needed and stir constantly for about 8 minutes, until soft, tender and slightly browned. Remove eggplant to Dutch oven and brown succeeding batches, adding oil as needed. Add diced tomatoes, parsley, olives and capers to cooked vegetable mixture in skillet; mix well and cook over low heat for a few minutes.
4. In a bowl combine the vinegar, water, sugar and tomato paste and stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Pour mixture into Dutch oven and stir thoroughly. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often. Be careful not to break up mixture to a mush; the vegetables need to retain their shape and texture and not become soupy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Remove from heat and refrigerate, covered, for at least one day to let all the flavors mellow. To serve, spoon mixture into a salad bowl or plate (wood is recommended) and garnish top with toasted pine nuts. Serve with toasted pita triangles or baguette slices or crusty Italian bread.
6. TO TOAST PINE NUTS: Place nuts in a single layer in a dry Teflon coated skillet over low heat and toast until lightly brown, stirring and WATCHING CONSTANTLY.
Per Serving: 176 Calories; 13g Fat (65.0% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 137mg Sodium; 8g Total Sugars; 0mcg Vitamin D; 42mg Calcium; 1mg Iron; 459mg Potassium; 63mg Phosphorus.
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