How to Make Caponata - Caponata Recipe

How to Make Caponata

Ingredients

4-6 small or 4 medium eggplants/aubergines
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
5 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon of capers
50gm green olives, pitted and sliced
3 celery sticks, cut into 3 centimeter (1.2 in) pieces
4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raw sugar
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped finely, for garnish

How to make it

Steps

1 Wash the eggplants. 

Leave the skin on unless the eggplants are very tough (older, larger ones).

2 Dice the eggplant.

3 Sprinkle salt over the eggplant pieces. 

Leave them salted for half an hour, sitting in a strainer. This will allow the juices to run.

4 Rinse off the salt.

 Dry the eggplant pieces on kitchen paper towel.

5 Fry the eggplant pieces in hot olive oil. 

They should be cooked until they brown and are tender. Drain again on kitchen paper towel and set to one side.

6 Fry the onion.

Use the same pan with a dash more olive oil. Fry until golden in color.

7 Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. 

Leave to simmer gently for 15 minutes.

8 Blanch the capers, olives and celery for 1 minute. 

Drain them and add them to the simmering tomato mixture.

9 Pour in the vinegar and sugar.

 Stir the sugar through evenly. Leave to simmer gently for another 15 minutes. During this time the sauce should reduce.

10 Remove from the heat.

 Add the eggplant pieces and stir through evenly.

11 Let the caponata stand for a minimum of 30 minutes.

 The longer it is permitted to marinade, the better, so that the flavor infuses through.

12 Serve in a small dish. 

Sprinkle the cut parsley over the top as a garnish. Provide small crackers or pieces of bread for eating with the caponata.