Caponata
I'd saute:
2 crushed or chopped cloves of garlic
1 chopped small onion, red might be nice
1 sliced celery stick (or more, if you like)
maybe some sliced fennel if you have it
one or two diced egg plants (adjust proportions of all above to size/number
of eggplants)
When it's getting cooked, I'd add a few spoons of tom. sauce/paste (to color
and add flavor, not to make mushy or sauce), a dash of balsamic vinegar and some
capers.
Maybe, if I didn't put fennel in it, I'd add some fennel seeds at this
point. Salt and pepper. Even a pinch of sugar -- don't ask me why, but I
do that sometimes. Chopped parsley at the end, or, if you haven't put in
any fennel/fennel seeds, maybe some basil?
Can't remember what else. You can add other things, of course. I've added
finely julienned carrots (flavour goes well and color is pretty) -- doubt
that's orthodox, but what is actually orthodox in any Italian dish? Pine
nuts at the end are nice. I think once I put a few raisins, which sounds
strange and probably isn't really caponata, but it went well with the smell
emerging from the pot and it tasted good. I've been known to add lots of
different things (and spices), working on the idea that people will probably
eat it standing up with a drink before dinner is served: small amounts on
toast, so rich is good. If it's to be a sit-down appetiser, I'd keep it
simpler so, since they eat more of it then, it doesn't feel too rich.
Next time I meet a Sicilian, I will ask how they make it. In the meantime
(if you are doing this soon), these are my thoughts.
This page is copyright 2006, Laura Giletti
Last revised: May 2006