Caponata is not eggplant stew. It should taste sweet, sour, salty, and rested, with the vegetables holding their shape. The agrodolce, meaning sweet-sour, has to be cooked into the pan rather than poured over at the end.
We fry the eggplant separately, soften the celery, then bring everything together with tomato, capers, olives, vinegar, and a small amount of sugar. The hardest part is waiting. Caponata is better at room temperature after it has had time to settle.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Salt the eggplant lightly and let it stand 20 minutes. Pat dry before cooking.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant in batches until browned and tender, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, then move it to a plate.
In a wide pan, cook the celery and onion with a pinch of salt over medium heat for 8 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and cook 8 minutes until thickened. Stir in the olives and capers.
Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, then add it to the pan. Simmer 2 minutes.
Fold in the fried eggplant and cook 3 minutes without breaking it up. Rest at room temperature at least 40 minutes, then finish with pine nuts.
You made Caponata Siciliana. Time to eat.
A new recipe in your inbox each month. No noise.
Serve caponata warm only if you have to. Room temperature gives the vinegar, oil, tomato, and eggplant time to come together.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
No comments yet. Be the first.