Greek Caponata Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Food

CAPONATA PANINI

Steps:

• Preheat a panini grill.
• Using a grapefruit spoon or fingers, scoop out a 1-inch wide trough along the cut sides of the baguettes. Place 2 half-slices of the provolone cheese on each bottom half of the baguettes. Spoon 1/3 cup of the caponata on top of the cheese. Place the top halves on the baguettes and grill the panini until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the celery and eggplant and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, raisins, and oregano to the pan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, capers, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Season, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed.

GREEK CAPONATA RECIPE COURTESY GIADA DE LAURENTIIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the canned tomatoes into a 3 1/2-quart baking dish and spread to cover the bottom. In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients (excluding the bread). Toss to coat. Pour the vegetables over the canned tomatoes in an even layer. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the edges of the vegetables are golden, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve alone as a side, or over toasted sourdough bread for a main dish.

BRACIOLE - COURTESY OF GIADA DE LAURENTIIS

Steps:

• Stir the the bread crumbs, cheeses, garlic and herbs together with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Pound the flank steak as thin as possible. Add the mixture of herbs and cheese to the flank steak and spread evenly on the work surface. Starting at one end, roll up the flank steak like for a jelly roll, and tie off with butcher's twine or toothpick.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the flank steak and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the tomato sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

GREEK CAPONATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pour the canned tomatoes into a 3 1/2-quart baking dish and spread to cover the bottom. In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients (excluding the bread). Toss to coat. Pour the vegetables over the canned tomatoes in an even layer.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the edges of the vegetables are golden, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Serve alone as a side, or over toasted sourdough bread for a main dish.

CAPONATA

Steps:

• In a large stainless-steel skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the celery and eggplant and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, raisins, and oregano to the pan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, capers, salt, and pepper. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed.