Caponata Siciliana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy skillet (12 inches) or Dutch oven
• •Colander for salting eggplant
• •Slotted spoon for transferring vegetables

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the eggplant

   Place the eggplant cubes in a colander set over a bowl. Salt generously and toss to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The eggplant will weep brown liquid and collapse slightly. This step is not optional. It draws out bitterness and prevents the eggplant from drinking oil like a sponge. Rinse briefly and pat completely dry with clean towels.

   Wet eggplant will not fry properly. It will steam and turn gray. Take time to dry each piece. This is where many cooks fail.
2. 2

   Fry the eggplant

   In a large heavy skillet, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in batches to avoid crowding, fry the eggplant cubes until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. The cubes should be soft inside but with a slight resistance. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Add more oil between batches as needed.

3. 3

   Cook the celery

   Add 2 tablespoons fresh oil to the skillet. Add the celery and cook over medium heat until it softens but retains some crunch, about 5 minutes. Celery that has gone completely limp has given up everything worth having. Remove and set aside with the eggplant.

4. 4

   Build the agrodolce base

   Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Cook the onion over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and beginning to color at the edges, about 15 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook until they reduce slightly and the raw taste disappears, about 10 minutes. The mixture should look thick and concentrated.

5. 5

   Add the sweet and sour

   Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour this into the tomato mixture and stir well. The agrodolce balance should be evident immediately: sweet, then sour, neither dominating. Let it simmer for 3 minutes to marry the flavors.

   Taste the sauce now. If it is too sour, add a pinch more sugar. Too sweet, a splash more vinegar. The balance must be right before you add the vegetables, because adjusting afterward is difficult.
6. 6

   Combine everything

   Return the fried eggplant and celery to the skillet. Add the capers and olives. Fold everything together gently. You are not making mush. Each component should remain distinguishable. Cook together for 5 minutes, just long enough for the flavors to introduce themselves.

7. 7

   Finish and rest

   Remove from heat and fold in the toasted pine nuts. Season with black pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and let it come to room temperature. This is important: caponata is never served hot. Cover and refrigerate overnight if possible. The flavors deepen and merge in ways that fresh caponata cannot achieve. Serve at room temperature, scattered with the reserved celery leaves.

Chef Tips

• •Sicilian green olives, sometimes called Castelvetrano, have a buttery, mild flavor essential to authentic caponata. Black olives or Greek varieties change the character of the dish entirely.
• •Some Sicilian versions include raisins and a touch of unsweetened cocoa. These additions are regional variations, not corruptions. Palermo and Catania argue about the correct recipe as fervently as Bologna and Naples argue about ragù.
• •Caponata keeps refrigerated for one week and often tastes best on day three or four. Always return it to room temperature before serving. Cold deadens the flavors.
• •Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over low heat, watching constantly. They go from golden to burnt in seconds. Let them cool before adding to the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •Caponata must rest at least 4 hours before serving, but overnight is far better. Make it the day before you need it.
• •Refrigerated in a covered container, caponata keeps for one week. The flavors continue to develop for the first three days.
• •Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Never serve caponata cold from the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)