Sicilian caponata

Only a few moments separate you from a creamy, fragrant and incredibly tasty Sicilian caponata. The star of the dish, the eggplant, is combined with olives, salty capers and tomatoes. All are tossed in an agrodolce sauce, to round up all the flavours in perfect harmony. It is delicious to enjoy in many ways, either warm or cold.

I love Italian cuisine. But there is a lot more than just pizza and pasta. Wink. Some years ago, I’ve visited Sicily. An amazing place, that I recommend everyone to visit. Great people, beautiful places and delicious food. You’ll mostly find simple but incredibly luscious dishes. I just love it. And such a dish is also this caponata; a real mix of flavours, scents and colours.

Sicilian caponata is an eggplant-based delight, which has spread outside Sicily and all around Italy. It’s another easy dish made with simple and fresh ingredients. Normally it is served as a vegetarian side dish and it is great to pair with fish, meat, cheese or eggs. Additionally, it is wonderful to stuff sandwiches, to put on focaccia, pizza, pasta or bruschetta.

Like other dishes, also caponata has its own varieties. In fact, every town in Sicily has its own version of caponata. I made my version, too. I omitted the celery stalk (simply because I don’t like it) and used a spring onion. Anyhow, the one thing they all have in common is the eggplant. If you have the chance, try as many versions as you can and find your own caponata.

More, this recipe requires a cubed and fried eggplant, which is prepared first and then added to the pan at the very end. Sicily must love the eggplant. Wink. No wonder also the parmigiana di melanzane has its origins right there. Aubergines are delicious, quick to prepare and can be paired with almost anything. For instance, with meat, fish, fruits, herbs and cheese.

You might also like these recipes with eggplant: beetroot falafel on aubergine and pasta arrabbiata with aubergine.

Another caponata characteristic is the agrodolce sauce. This is a simple sweet and sour sauce made just with sugar and vinegar. An easy step that really rounds up all the flavours of the final dish.

Also, in case you make a larger amount of Sicilian caponata, you can either store it in the fridge for up to a week or divide it into portions and freeze it for later use.

Ingredients for 2-4 portions of Sicilian caponata:

• 2 aubergines (cubed)
• sunflower oil (for frying)
• 2 red onions (sliced)
• 1 spring onion (chopped)
• 400 g pelati (canned peeled tomatoes)
• 150 g black olives (pitted)
• 3 tsp of capers
• 15 cherry tomatoes (whole or halved)
• 1 Tbsp sugar (for the vegan option search for a vegan sugar)
• 2 Tbsp of apple vinegar
• salt
• fresh basil

To begin, wash and cut the aubergine into smaller cubes (about 1-2 cm). Then, peel and slice the onion, chop the spring onion and wash the cherry tomatoes.

Furthermore, fill a larger frying pan (high walls) with approximately 2 finger-width of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the aubergine cubes (you can add them in two batches if you prefer) and fry for about 6 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove the aubergine cubes from the hot oil (with a skimmer spoon) and drain them on some paper towels. Remove all but one spoon of oil from the pan, too.

Then, heat the pan again, add the onion and spring onion and stir until soft and glossy. At this point, add the pelati and carefully smash them with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and add the capers, olives and cherry tomatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Afterwards, stir in the aubergines, a pinch of salt and cook for additional 2 minutes. Last but not least, turn the heat on high, add the sugar and vinegar and cook for one minute.

Finally, divide the Sicilian caponata between the plates and top with some fresh basil leaves. I like to serve it with a slice of bread to mop up the last of the delicious sauce on the plate.

Enjoy!