Eggplant Caponata

Recipe courtesy of chef Marc Vetri, from cookbook Rustic Italian Food

People swear by salting eggplant first to leach out the bitterness. The truth is, bitterness has already been bred out of most eggplant varieties, so there’s no need to salt them. If you use small eggplants, you don’t have to peel them either. This recipe uses whole eggplants as is and makes a beautiful caponata that you can serve with almost anything. I usually make a big batch because it goes so quickly. People have asked me to jar it and sell it supermarkets. Not a bad idea!

Yield

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

- 5 tablespoons grape seed oil

- 3 or 4 small Italian eggplants (2 pounds total), stemmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into bite-size pieces

- ½ red onion, finely chopped

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 3 canned peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano, coarsely chopped)

- 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

- ⅓ cup golden raisins

- 2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

- Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1) Heat 4 tablespoons of the grape seed oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

2) Add the eggplant cubes and sauté until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

3) Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over a drip pan or paper towels.

4) Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and sauté the fennel and onion until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

5) Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

6) Stir in the tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

7) Add the sautéed eggplant, pine nuts, and raisins and mix gently so that you don’t break up the eggplant.

8) Add 2 teaspoons of the vinegar, then taste and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar as needed.

9) Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Prep Ahead

1) Make the caponata up to 5 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.

2) Before serving, bring it back to room temperature for the best flavor.

3) To toast the pine nuts, heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan now and then.

Wine Pairing

Proprieta Sperino, Rosa del Rosa 2008 (Piedmont)

Eggplant and tannins make good bedfellows. The soft tannins of this Nebbiolo-based rosé, coupled with its rose petal aroma and spicy berry palate, create a complex wine and a remarkable pairing of a Northern wine with a Southern dish.

PRINTER FRIENDLY | SHARE ON FACEBOOK | TWEET

Copyright ©2012 Find.Eat.Drink. LLC All rights reserved.