Eggplant Caponata

Eggplant Caponata - Easy Meals with Video Recipes by Chef Joel Mielle - RECIPE30

IMAGE
VIDEO

A sweet and Sour Vegetable Stew

Eggplant Caponata is a Sicilian style of ratatouille with an intense jammy flavour. What makes this uniquely different is the sweet and sour flavours made from sugar and vinegar. Make sure you fry the eggplant nicely, that’s the secret to that creaminess. It’s the hero of the dish. Caponata is delicious served on crusty toasted bread, as a side of veges with swordfish, octopus or any seafood, or even mixed in plain pasta with a little cheese. I like mine with lots of fresh basil. The pine nuts are optional, but enhance the dish with crunchy texture and bursts of nuttiness. Enjoy my Eggplant Caponata today!

Ingredients

3 Eggplants (approx. 1kg)
2 celery sticks chopped (approx. 150g)
2-3 large tomatoes chopped (approx. 150g)
1 brown onion finely chopped
1¼ cup – 200g mixed pitted black and green olives
¼ cup - 30g capers
¼ cup - 60g red wine vinegar
Olive oil
2 tbsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp tomato paste
⅓ cup – 50g pine nuts, Optional
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

Step 1
In a large frying pan, place the pine nuts and toast until golden. Set aside and wipe pan clean.
Step 2
Wash trim and dice the eggplants. In the same frying pan on high heat, add a generous amount of olive oil and fry the diced eggplants. Once browned, add a little salt and continue cooking until nicely caramelised approx. 8 minutes. Place on absorbing paper towel and set aside.
Step 3
In the same pan, add olive oil and finely chopped onion. Fry until you reach a little bit of colour. Add the chopped celery, broken up pitted olives, capers and continue a gentle fry. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar. Cook until sugar has melted then deglaze with red wine vinegar. Add the tomato paste and a little water.
Step 4
Return the cooked eggplants to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with lid, cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
Step 5
Just before serving. Add torn basil leaves toasted pinenuts, mix well and serve hot. Garnish with more pinenuts and basil leaves. Serve on crusty toasted bread.

or cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment