Caponata Sicilian Eggplant Relish Food

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.

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.

SICILIAN EGGPLANT RELISH CAPONATA

Steps:

• Put cubed eggplant in a colander set in the sink. Toss with the salt. Set a plate on top of eggplant and add a weight. Let stand 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Rinse eggplant under cold running water; drain and pat dry with paper towel. Toss eggplant with 3 tbsp (45 mL) of the olive oil; spread onto baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened and starting to brown. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, garlic and onions; cook for 6 minutes or until onions are softened. Do not let garlic brown. Sir in passata, green and black olives, capers, pine nuts, currants, sugar and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in mint; cook 5 minutes longer. Transfer to large serving dish. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours to develop flavors. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with chopped basil.

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.

CAPONATA SICILIANA

Steps:

• Put pasta water on to boil.
• In a large saute pan stir-fry eggplant and garlic in 4 tablespoons olive oil, until tender and a little brown.
• Put pasta in boiling water.
• Remove eggplant mixture from pan and set aside. Saute onion and pepper in remaining oil for 5 minutes. Add eggplant mixture and all other ingredients to onion and pepper, cover and cook over low heat for about 7 minutes.
• Toss hot, drained al dente pasta together with eggplant sauce, garnish with a sprig of fresh basil (and the toasted pine nuts, if using), and serve with grated parmesan cheese. Add additional vinegar, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Serves 4.
• *Note: I think I prefer this made with only 8 ounces of pasta.

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.