Caponata

There are great veggies in season at the farmer's market this time of year, like fresh onions, eggplant, tomatoes and sweet bell peppers. This also makes it a great time of year to make a huge supply of caponata.

Caponata is an ancient Sicilian relish. It's both sweet and sour, thanks to doses of sugar and vinegar, and goes great with bread as well as grilled meats and fish. Similar to pepperonata, the addition of meaty chunks of eggplant, olives, capers and dried fruit make it authentically Sicilian. It's also a great way to cool off a summer dinner, as its served at room temperature or colder.

There are hundreds of recipes for caponata, but most of them share the same universal ingredients:

- eggplant
- bell peppers
- onion
- celery
-olives
-capers
-tomatoes or tomato sauce
- olive oil
-vinegar
-sugar

Typically, the peppers and onions are sauteed, the celery boiled for a minute or two, and the eggplant cut into chunks and fried. Once the veggies are ready, they are combined in a pan with the tomato, capers and olives. Finally, a combination of vinegar and sugar (usually a 2:1 ratio) is added. Everything simmers to blend the flavors, then it's removed from the heat and cools to room temperature.

Anna Tasca Lanza provides a great recipe and demonstration on her website:

For an even more detailed history of the dish, check out this interview with Mary Taylor Simeti (recipe below).

Caponata Casa Nostra

(serves 4 to 8)

2 lbs. eggplant (about 2 large); 1 lb. yellow onions (about 3 medium); 1 large red bell pepper; 5 or 6 stalks of celery with leaves; 6 tbsp. olive oil; 1 tsp. crushed hot red pepper; 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled; 1 28-ounce tin Hunt's tomatoes in juice; about 10 Kalamata-style black olives, pitted; about 5 large green olives, pitted; 2 tbsp. capers, rinsed; a handful of fresh Italian parsley, minced; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 2 tbsp. white (or brown) sugar; salt and black pepper to taste

Wash, dry and trim the stem end from the eggplant. Cut it, skin included, into half-inch dice, place in a colander and sprinkle with a tablespoon of fine sea salt, spreading this through the eggplant pieces with the hands. Set over a large bowl and let rest for at least one-half hour. Discard the liquid and dump the cubes in a sink full of cold water. Swirl them around to rinse them well. Lift them out, handful by handful, squeezing them hard. Put them back into the colander, into which you have already spread an expendable dishtowel. When all the pieces are in the towel, gather its ends together and twist it tighter and tighter, forcing as much liquid out of the eggplant as possible. Put the cubes in a large bowl.

Peel and coarsely chop the onion. Core, seed and coarsely chop the red pepper. Cut the celery into bite-sized pieces. Pour the olive oil into a large pot and heat over a low flame until the oil begins to ripple. Stir in the crushed hot red pepper and then the celery. Cook this, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, then add the onion, garlic, and the red bell pepper pieces. Cook these, still stirring, for another five minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the eggplant. Sauté this mixture for twenty minutes. At this point, taste the eggplant. The flesh should be soft and tender. If not, continue cooking another five minutes and taste again.

Add the tomatoes with their liquid, dividing them into chunks with a heat-proof rubber spatula. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 10 minutes, while you cut the pitted black and green olives into small bits and rinse and chop the capers. Add these, stir in well, and cover again, continuing the simmering until the eggplant skin is tender, about 15 more minutes. Taste the caponata for doneness: The vegetables should all be soft but retain some texture; the liquid should be syrupy. Stir in the minced parsley, the vinegar, and the sugar. Cook just long enough to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.