Caponata · Caponata Siciliana
Sicily · antipasto · serves 6 · 75 min total · easy
Sicily's most Sicilian dish — aubergine, sweet-sour vinegar, pine nuts and raisins betray every empire that left its mark: Arab, Norman, Spanish.
Ingredients
- 700 g aubergines
- 3 stalks celery hearts
- 1 large red onion
- 400 g plum tomatoes
- 100 g green olives, pitted
- 2 tbsp capers
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 40 g pine nuts
- 40 g sultanas
- 120 ml olive oil
Method
- Cube aubergines, salt, drain 30 minutes, dry. Fry until golden in olive oil. Drain.
- In the same pan, soften sliced onion and celery. Add tomatoes and cook 10 minutes.
- Stir in olives, capers, pine nuts, sultanas.
- Dissolve sugar in the vinegar, pour it in — let it sizzle and reduce 2 minutes (the agrodolce — sweet-sour — is the soul of caponata).
- Fold in the aubergines. Cook 5 more minutes.
- Cool to room temperature. Tastes better after a day in the fridge. Serve as antipasto on bread or alongside fish.