Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is a great recipe for Caponata, which is an Italian eggplant sort of dip. It’s chunky and has a nice mix of sweet and sour flavors and almost all the ingredients can currently be bought at the farmer’s market.
Ingredients
4 small globe-shaped eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons kosher salt
6 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ripe plum tomatoes (San Marzano), peeled and chopped, save juice
Salt and pepper
3 fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups Extra Virgin olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Procedure
Put the eggplant cubes in colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Place a plate on top of eggplant and put a heavy can on top of that to weigh it down. This will cause the bitter liquid to drain form the eggplant. Let drain for 1 hour in sink.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan full of water to the boil and blanch celery for 1 minute. Drain and set aside to cool. Next make the tomato sauce. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and stir till golden brown don’t let it burn. Add tomatoes, juice, and seasoning and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes to reduce liquid, then lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes more till thick. Add basil during last 5 minutes. You should end up with 2 cups of sauce, set it aside.
Now rinse and dry eggplant. In a sauté pan add 1 cup of olive oil and quickly fry eggplant cubes in small batches till golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil. Now add remaining 1/2 cup olive oil to pan, add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Next add blanched celery, then tomato sauce, capers, olives, vinegar, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors, then add eggplant. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in a jar in the frig. Let sit 24 hours before serving. Bring to room temperature before serving. Will last in fridge 1 week.