Caponata is a Sicilian veggie dish of aubergines, tomatoes, celery, olives, capers and pine nuts – served with pasta or with toasted ciabatta. Some say its the Italian version of Ratatouille, but I think it’s a completely different dish. This is a sweet and sour stew that can be served warm or cold and is delicious on toasted ciabatta or as a pasta sauce.
Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut aubergines into 1-inch cubes put them into a bowl and toss in olive oil and salt
Transfer them onto the baking tray and arrange on a single layer, and roast for 30 minutes.
While the aubergines are roasting make the rest of the sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add chopped onion, garlic and celery and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add chopped tomatoes, the tin of tomatoes, the chopped olives, capers, salt, pepper. If the tinned tomatoes are whole, Roughly chop the tinned tomatoes while in the pan.
Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Now add vinegar and then the sugar, stir, and allow the sugar to dissolve and then taste and adjust until you reach your desired balance of sweet and sour.
Once you are happy with the sauce, add the roasted aubergines
Finish cooking for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and add the hopped basil leaves and stir them in.
let it cool for 15 minutes before serving it with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts.
It’s great on pasta, as a side dish, or serve with toasted ciabatta.
Caponata
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines – medium size
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 white onion medium size
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 sticks celery
- 6 fresh tomatoes
- 1 tin whole tomatoes
- ½ cup green olives pitted
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 30 g Fresh basil – small bunch
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut aubergines into 1-inch cubes put them into a bowl and toss in olive oil and salt
- Put them onto the baking tray and arrange on a single layer and roast for 30 minutes.
- While the aubergines are roasting make the rest of the sauce
- chop the celery, onion and garlic
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and celery and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Chop the fresh tomatoes, roughly chop the olives (not too small)
- Add chopped tomatoes, the tin of tomatoes, the chopped olives, capers, salt, pepper. If the tinned tomatoes are whole, Roughly chop the tinned tomatoes while in the pan.
- Simmer on low/medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Now add vinegar and then the sugar, stir, and allow the sugar to dissolve and then taste and adjust until you reach your desired balance of sweet and sour.
- Once you are happy with the sauce, add the roasted aubergines
- Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and add chopped basil leaves and stir them in.
- Pour thee caponata into a serving dish and let it cool for 15 minutes before serving it.
- while its cooling, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until brown on both sides, sprinkle them over the caponata.
- It’s great on pasta, as a side dish, or serve with toasted ciabatta.
Nutrition
(All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more).