Caponata

Caponata is not something I remember from childhood. The closest thing I remember from childhood was the jar of "Giardiniera," a Sunday staple as part of the antepasto.  I learned of caponata only when I travelled to Italy when I was in school. In many Italian trattoría caponata is often on the display table that greets the diner at the door. In the Italian American kitchen there may not have been caponata as such, but there were countless other eggplant dishes, not the least of which was eggplant parmesan. What we did have was something of a deconstructed caponata: an antipasto of strips of eggplant marinated in olive oil and served with olives and strips of roasted red peppers.

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Caponata  is usually a side dish served room temperature with fish and sometimes veal chops. From my research no one is quite sure of the origin of the word. Clifford A. Wright’s epic A Mediterranean Feast proposes several possibilities from ancient Latin to 18th century Catalan. In terms of the recipe, there are numerous variations, some of which include fish. The one element in common with all caponata recipes is eggplant (aubergine). 

Eggplant was grown in Southeast Asia and India for centuries but did not appear in Europe until sometime in the 16th century along with the potato and tomato from the New World. Some of the earliest varieties in the West were white and egg-shaped, hence the name "egg- plant" as we call this fruit in America. In Europe, it seems that it was the Italians who made the most of the eggplant as they did with the tomato.
The caponata recipe I set out here is very straightforward.The fresh ingredients are from the garden of my friend Emma.The oil marinated ingredients, the roasted peppers,are from our finest local Italian American source,Carlino’s.

Marinated peppers

I combine the marinated elements along with the fresh peppers to deepen the flavor complexity. Raisins are also a common addition. They contribute to the "agro-dolce" (sweet and sour) quality that is a key taste in caponata. As with any good home recipe you can make additions that suit your likings. I have even found some recipes that add anchovies. Caponata is a perfect dish on a cold buffet, with wine and cheese or as a simple antipasto.

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What you need

Equipment
Dutch Oven or heavy duty pot or wok
Sharp knife

Ingredients

Eggplant
Peppers, any color
Onion, any variety
Tomatoes, whole canned       hand crushed
Olives, pitted, different types
Pignoli nuts
Garlic
White vinegar
Red wine
Olive oil
Sugar
Basil
Optional
Roasted peppers
Raisins
Celery
Capers
(Some versions add anchovies.)

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Getting it together: the mise en place
This is the most important part of cooking. All of the elements need to be in place before they touch the heat of the stove or oven.

Eggplant

Slice and cube the eggplant into a small dice and set aside.

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Peppers

Split, remove seeds and dice the peppers.
(Optional)
You can add as many hot peppers as suits your taste. Set aside.

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Tomatoes

Hand crush the whole tomatoes and set aside.
You are only going to use the meat.
Save the liquid for pasta sauce.

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Olives and optional roasted peppers

Remove olive pits and chop the olives.
If you are using optional roasted peppers,dice them.
Set aside.

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Onion

Slice then dice the onion.

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Garlic

Chop the garlic and set aside.

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Mise en place

All your prep material should be ready.

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On the stove

Onions

Sauter the onions in olive oil until they wilt.  The Italians in local dialoect call this "killing" (mazzando) the onions.

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Peppers

Add the peppers and sauter until they soften.

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Eggplant

Add the eggplant.
Stir until the oil penetrates all the cubes.
If the pan is completely dry, add a bit more olive oil.

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Garlic

Add the garlic.
(Do not add the garlic too early or it will burn.)

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Wine

Add about 1/2 cup of red wine.
Let this simmer and reduce: about 7 minutes.

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Tomatoes

Using your hands, take the meat from the crushed tomatoes. You don't want the liquid. Save the liquid for a sauce.

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Olives and other important options

Add the olives and any other options such as roasted peppers and raisins.

IMPORTANT:
for a rich agro-dolce ( sweet and sour) carefully add white vinegar and sugar.
Taste with each addition.

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Pignoli

Add the pignoli.
Remove from the heat.
Let the caponata cool.

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Serve on bread or alone as a side (room temperature)

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