Eggplant Caponata recipe – simple and delicious Italian recipe. I’m cooking this dish whole the year, but of course in summer time – when it’s season of eggplat, the caponata di melanzane has better taste.
Rinse the eggplants, slice them, place them in a spaghetti colander, and sprinkle them with salt. You can cover the eggplants with a small plate and put a bottle of water or any other object on top to weigh them down slightly. This will help the eggplants release their excess water along with the slightly bitter taste. Depending on how much time you have before making the caponata, you can keep the eggplants under the press for anywhere from half an hour to an entire night. In the latter case, it’s best to move them to the refrigerator.
Next, rinse the eggplants under running water and lay them out on a dry towel.
Eggplant caponata recipe
Instructions
- Cut the eggplants into wedges, sprinkle them with salt, and let them sit for at least 15 minutes to release water. Then, lightly rinse them and pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut them into cubes.
- Rinse the bell peppers, remove the core, and cut them into cubes. Sauté them in olive oil in a separate pan until nearly fully cooked. Place them on a paper towel to drain.
- Dry the chopped eggplants in a pan with olive oil. Cook them until they are almost fully done (photo 1).
- Remove the eggplants from the pan and transfer them to a plate lined with thick paper towels, so the paper absorbs the excess oil. In the same pan (without washing it), add a little olive oil, along with the diced onion and celery. Add the olives, capers, and pine nuts. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring constantly (photo 2).
- Return the nearly cooked eggplants to the pan and add the already prepared bell peppers. Dice a fresh tomato and add it to the vegetables in the pan as well (photo 3). Season the vegetables with salt. Stir and cook everything together on low heat for another couple of minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing red wine vinegar, olive oil, cocoa, and honey in a small bowl. Add it to the vegetables in the pan. Stir well, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat.
