Caponata

Name: Caponata
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 lb eggplant, 1-inch cubes; ½ cup olive oil; 1 unit yellow onion, diced; 3 unit celery stalks, sliced; 1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes; ½ cup green olives, sliced; 3 tbsp capers, drained; ¼ cup red wine vinegar; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 ½ tsp salt

Sides & Vegetables · European

10 ingredients · 95 minutes · 6 servings

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112kcal2.6g protein4.4g fat18.4g carbs*

sometimes contains gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, sesame, soy, shellfish, fish — check the label

Restrictions

Sometimes contains — check the labelgluten (vinegar red wine) · dairy (vinegar red wine) · egg (vinegar red wine) · peanut (vinegar red wine) · tree nut (vinegar red wine) · sesame (vinegar red wine) · soy (vinegar red wine) · shellfish (vinegar red wine) · fish (vinegar red wine)Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.

Diets

Vegetarian · checkVegan · checkPescatarian · checkNo pork · checkNo alcohol · check

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

2 lb	eggplant, 1-inch cubes
½ cup	olive oil
1 unit	yellow onion, diced
3 unit	celery stalks, sliced
1 ½ cup	crushed tomatoes
½ cup	green olives, sliced
3 tbsp	capers, drained
¼ cup	red wine vinegar
2 tbsp	sugar
1 ½ tsp	salt

Steps

fry20 min
eggplant deeply browned and tender in uncrowded batches
Salt the eggplant lightly and brown it in batches in olive oil until the edges are dark and the centers tender. Crowding traps steam and gives the caponata a soft, pale base instead of distinct browned eggplant.
saute10 min
onion and celery softened without dark browning
In a wide pan, cook the onion and celery until tender, then add the tomato, olives and capers. Keep the base relatively tight rather than soupy so it coats the eggplant later.
reduce8 min
vinegar sharpness softened and sauce glossy
Stir in the vinegar and sugar and simmer until the raw acidic edge mellows. The target is clearly sweet-sour, not sugary; taste while the mixture is still hot and adjust only slightly.
mix3 min
eggplant coated without breaking apart
Fold the browned eggplant gently into the agrodolce base. Avoid vigorous stirring so the cubes keep some shape and the dish reads as layered vegetables rather than puree.
rest60 min
flavors settled and dish at room temperature
Rest the caponata for at least an hour before serving. The vinegar, tomato and fried eggplant taste more integrated after cooling, which is part of the dish rather than merely a storage step.