caponatina -- eggplant dish from Sicily
Mar 20, 2009 18:19:04 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 20, 2009 18:19:04 GMT
There are many variations on this dish, so don't feel you're not being authentic if you change anything in the recipes.
Progresso foods carries caponata in cans, if you wish to try it first without committing to making it.
Here's one a friend gave me that she got from a friend in Catania, Sicily:
CAPONATA FROM SICILY
1 or 2 eggplants - diced
2-3 green peppers - diced
2-3 tomatoes - diced
1 onion - diced
1 carrot - sliced very thin
1-2 stalks of celery - diced
1-2 small potatoes - boiled- cooled and diced (THESE ARE OPTIONAL)
2 TBLS Green Olives - chopped
1 TBLS capers
salt/pepper to taste
2 TBLS white vinegar
1 TBLS sugar
Soak the diced eggplant in a bowl of salted, cold water for 15 minutes, no longer -
In a large fry pan, heat olive oil and sautee the first three ingredients - individually - place each ingredient on paper towel to drain. Continue sauteing the other ingredients and place on paper towels too.
Sautee the onion till it is translucent.
Sautee the carrott and celery together until still slightlyl firm
When all the ingredients are sauteed, place them back in the pan and add the diced potatoes, olives and capers, salt and pepper to taste, stirring so it doesn't stick, add the white vinegar and the sugar and stir thoroughly. Put in a bowl and serve warm.
If you like, you can put it in a container after it cools and put in the refrigerator. It will keep for a week or so. It's delicious warm or cold.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
from another friend:
Caponata:
2 very large eggplants
1(12 oz) can tomato sauce
4 Tbs olive oil
1 med onion chopped
1 Tbs sugar, heaping
2 red sweet peppers
1 (14oz) can tomatoes
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1 oz capers
4 oz green pitted olives
6 stalks celery
2 tsp ea dry oregano/Italian seasoning
1/2 cup wine vinegar/1/2 cup water
1 tsp hot pepper flakes optional
Wash dry and dice eggplants in 1/2 inch cubes: Place in colander. spread salt on top and weight down with large plate: set aside to drain. Chop red peppers and par boiled celery to small cubes. Wash and dry eggplant cubes thoroughly. deep fry in hot olive oil until slightly tender but not brown. Drain on paper towel: (maybe broiled in oven with olive oil spray instead of deep fried) Make Italian tomato sauce with tomato paste, water and sauteed chopped onion. add crushed tomatoes and simmer with herbs for about 20 minutes. Mix eggplant cubes red peppers, celery, capers, pine nuts and olives with tomato sauce. Blend vinegar, water, sugar and add to tomato mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until well blended. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Place in jars following canning procedures or in plastic jars and freeze until ready to use makes approx 8 pints. Let rest before serving.
Serve cold or at room temp. with meat, chicken or fish.
To serve as an appetizer serve on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve with mini garlic toast
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally, a fairly plain one from the internet. I'm including this one because not only is it authentic, it includes the use of Greek-style olives, which are what are used in my family's version.
Another crucial difference between my mother's way of making it and all of those here is that she uses good homemade sauce instead of tomatoes or tomato paste.
CAPONATA recipe from Recipelink.com
6 cups (@1.5 lbs) cubed, peeled eggplant
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup each: coarsely chopped green pepper, chopped onion, diced celery
2 cups fresh, peeled, seeded (optional) tomatoes (can substitute canned)
1/2 cup each: chopped kalmata olives, sliced stuffed green olives
2 T. capers
2 T. pine nuts
1/3 to 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 t salt and pepper to taste
green tabasco sauce to taste (optional)
Brown eggplant in oil (about 10 minutes give or take). Stir in green pepper, onion and celery. Cook covered 10 minutes, do not brown. Add tomatoes, olives, capers, pine nuts, vinegar and sugar. Simmer covered 30 minutes. Add remaining seasoning to taste. Chill.
Progresso foods carries caponata in cans, if you wish to try it first without committing to making it.
Here's one a friend gave me that she got from a friend in Catania, Sicily:
CAPONATA FROM SICILY
1 or 2 eggplants - diced
2-3 green peppers - diced
2-3 tomatoes - diced
1 onion - diced
1 carrot - sliced very thin
1-2 stalks of celery - diced
1-2 small potatoes - boiled- cooled and diced (THESE ARE OPTIONAL)
2 TBLS Green Olives - chopped
1 TBLS capers
salt/pepper to taste
2 TBLS white vinegar
1 TBLS sugar
Soak the diced eggplant in a bowl of salted, cold water for 15 minutes, no longer -
In a large fry pan, heat olive oil and sautee the first three ingredients - individually - place each ingredient on paper towel to drain. Continue sauteing the other ingredients and place on paper towels too.
Sautee the onion till it is translucent.
Sautee the carrott and celery together until still slightlyl firm
When all the ingredients are sauteed, place them back in the pan and add the diced potatoes, olives and capers, salt and pepper to taste, stirring so it doesn't stick, add the white vinegar and the sugar and stir thoroughly. Put in a bowl and serve warm.
If you like, you can put it in a container after it cools and put in the refrigerator. It will keep for a week or so. It's delicious warm or cold.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
from another friend:
Caponata:
2 very large eggplants
1(12 oz) can tomato sauce
4 Tbs olive oil
1 med onion chopped
1 Tbs sugar, heaping
2 red sweet peppers
1 (14oz) can tomatoes
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1 oz capers
4 oz green pitted olives
6 stalks celery
2 tsp ea dry oregano/Italian seasoning
1/2 cup wine vinegar/1/2 cup water
1 tsp hot pepper flakes optional
Wash dry and dice eggplants in 1/2 inch cubes: Place in colander. spread salt on top and weight down with large plate: set aside to drain. Chop red peppers and par boiled celery to small cubes. Wash and dry eggplant cubes thoroughly. deep fry in hot olive oil until slightly tender but not brown. Drain on paper towel: (maybe broiled in oven with olive oil spray instead of deep fried) Make Italian tomato sauce with tomato paste, water and sauteed chopped onion. add crushed tomatoes and simmer with herbs for about 20 minutes. Mix eggplant cubes red peppers, celery, capers, pine nuts and olives with tomato sauce. Blend vinegar, water, sugar and add to tomato mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until well blended. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Place in jars following canning procedures or in plastic jars and freeze until ready to use makes approx 8 pints. Let rest before serving.
Serve cold or at room temp. with meat, chicken or fish.
To serve as an appetizer serve on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve with mini garlic toast
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally, a fairly plain one from the internet. I'm including this one because not only is it authentic, it includes the use of Greek-style olives, which are what are used in my family's version.
Another crucial difference between my mother's way of making it and all of those here is that she uses good homemade sauce instead of tomatoes or tomato paste.
CAPONATA recipe from Recipelink.com
6 cups (@1.5 lbs) cubed, peeled eggplant
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup each: coarsely chopped green pepper, chopped onion, diced celery
2 cups fresh, peeled, seeded (optional) tomatoes (can substitute canned)
1/2 cup each: chopped kalmata olives, sliced stuffed green olives
2 T. capers
2 T. pine nuts
1/3 to 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 t salt and pepper to taste
green tabasco sauce to taste (optional)
Brown eggplant in oil (about 10 minutes give or take). Stir in green pepper, onion and celery. Cook covered 10 minutes, do not brown. Add tomatoes, olives, capers, pine nuts, vinegar and sugar. Simmer covered 30 minutes. Add remaining seasoning to taste. Chill.