Summer Recipe: Caponata
It’s a caponata summer! Caponata is a summery Sicilian dish, often served as a starter or side, with fresh crusty bread. It’s sophisticated yet indulgent; sweet and sour; oily and downright delicious. Serve this at your next dinner party or make yourself a batch for the week.
Ingredients:
· 2 aubergines
· 2 sticks of celery
· ½ red onion
· 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
· 25g pine nuts
· 50g raisins
· 1 garlic clove
· 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
· 1 teaspoon of sugar
· Olive oil for frying
· A handful of fresh basil
· Salt and pepper
Recipe:
1. Get chopping! Dice the red onion and garlic. Chop the aubergine and celery into chunks.
2. Fry the aubergine in plenty of olive oil. Once cooked, remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and briefly toast the pine nuts. Once golden, remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
4. Return the pan to the heat and cook the red onion and celery for around 10 minutes. Add the diced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for around 10 minutes.
5. While this is simmering, combine 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a separate bowl.
6. Add back in the aubergine and pine nuts to the pan as well as the raisins and sugar-vinegar mixture.
7. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the pan and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil.
Written by Beth Lane
Beth is the Food Editor of The Everyday Magazine. She also writes her own Substack newsletter called Small Plates and enjoys travel, reading, reformer pilates and watching anything Bravo!
