La Caponata

If you are interested in Italian food and if you like vegetable based food this is a nice Italian dish that you can make. 

I think your guests will really appreciate this dish, which has several different uses.

What is Caponata?

Caponata is a rich and tasty side dish typical of Sicilian cuisine. It is made with eggplant, tomato, onion, green olives, capers, celery and basil. 

The colorful mix of roasted vegetables are sauteed in a pan with sugar and vinegar, giving the typical sweet and sour taste.

How did the dish come about?

Caponata is a unique dish that has its roots in the cucina povera (poor food) tradition! The name seems to derive from "capone", which in Sicilian dialect indicates the fine fish Lampuga, which was served with sweet and sour sauce on the tables of the aristocrats.

The farmers who could not afford such an expensive dish replaced the fish with eggplant which were much cheaper and usually homegrown!

This is how Caponata di Melanzane was born!

Would you like to prepare Caponata at home with just a few easy steps?

Recipe with procedure

Here is the Caponata recipe with all the step-by-step advice to bring the real Sicilian Caponata to your table.

Juicy and tasty like at the restaurant!

A bit like Pasta alla Norma and all traditional Italian recipes, there are different variations of Caponata depending on the Sicilian province in which it is made. The version that you will taste if you visit Trapani includes the addition of paprika. In Catania you can sometimes find it with potatoes. What you will read today is the original Sicilian Caponata recipe from Palermo.

This is said to be the most classic of the versions, very easy and very fast to make! As always, only use fresh, top quality ingredients. Cut the eggplants and all the other vegetables into small pieces and follow the cooking order indicated in the procedure!

A few steps and you will bring a perfect Caponata to the table that is creamy, fragrant and incredibly tasty.

Just like Melanzane al Funghetto, it is perfect as a vegetarian side dish, accompanying dishes of all kinds. From main courses with meat and fish to classic Sarde alla Beccafico, eggs and cheeses. Just like Peperonata, Caponata can also be served hot or cold.

It is also excellent for filling sandwiches, pizza, focaccia, cold pasta, crostoni and bruschetta. And Friselle as an antipasto!

Ingredients: 

• 500 g eggplants
• 150 g datterini or cherry tomatoes
• 100 g onion
• 100 g celery
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 80 g green olives (net weight hollowed out)
• 1 tablespoon capers (I prefer those in salt to be desalted under water)
• extra virgin olive oil
• basil
• 1 large spoonful of sugar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• salt
• 50 g previously toasted pine nuts (optional)
• oil for frying to taste

Procedure: 

• First clean the vegetables, cut the eggplant, celery and cherry tomatoes into cubes. If they are too big, and not small “datterini”, just cut them in half.
• Fry the aubergines in plenty of oil in a large pan for 3-4 minutes, which is the time it takes to get them golden brown. Drain well and set aside.
• Put the very finely chopped onion together with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and let it soak for 1 minute before adding the diced celery.
• Then add the olives, capers and cherry tomatoes that have been previously hollowed out. Then cook on a low heat for 3 minutes before adding a handful of basil and cook it for 2 minutes.
• Finally, add a spoonful of sugar and vinegar and let it evaporate over high heat. You can finish it off by adding some salt and possibly some pine nuts, which have been toasted in the pan for a few minutes beforehand.

Your Caponata is ready!

Are you looking for other antipasti?