Ingredients
1/3 c. golden raisins
4 plum tomatoes
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 1/2 lb. baby eggplant, cut into ¾” pieces (see note in introduction)
Kosher salt
1 medium sweet green pepper, such as Cubanelle, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, such as Carmen or red bell pepper, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
5 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. drained capers
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 c. mixed olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. pine nuts
Preparation
Baby eggplant, or small varieties of eggplant like Fairytale Eggplant or Chinese Eggplant are perfect for this recipe, as they contain less moisture than larger eggplant. Their skin is also tender and not bitter when cooked, eliminating the need for peeling. If you’d like to make this recipe with larger eggplant, we recommend peeling and discarding the skin, cubing the flesh, salting the cubes, and leaving them in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes. After draining, rinse the eggplant and dry completely.You may be wondering why you can’t just sauté all the vegetables at the same time, instead of in stages. There are 2 reasons why taking the shortcut isn’t worth it: first, your veggies will caramelize more if cooked separately, and secondly, cooking vegetables this way helps them maintain their unique flavor, rather than absorbing each other’s flavor, like in a ratatouille. This is typical of a classic caponata.We highly recommend allowing the caponata cool completely before digging in. In fact, a full overnight stay in the fridge will yield a much more flavorful result, making this perfect for meal prep. (It’ll keep about a week in the fridge too!)
Step 1Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Place raisins in a small heat proof bowl and prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl.Step 2When water is boiling, pour enough over the raisins to cover them completely. Return pot of water to a boil.Step 3Score a shallow “x” on the bottom of each tomato. Drop in boiling water and cook for 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to ice bath. When cool, peel off skin and discard, then chop flesh.Step 4In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add eggplant in a single layer and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 minutes. You may need to do this in 2 to 3 batches, depending on your pan size, adding more oil if the pan is looking dry. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to a large plate and season with salt.Step 5Add more oil to the pot if necessary, then add peppers and sauté until mostly tender, 5 minutes; season with salt. Use slotted spoon to transfer peppers to plate with eggplant.Step 6Add onion and celery to the pot and cover. Lower heat to medium-low and let cook, uncovering and stirring occasionally, until celery is tender, about 15 minutes.Step 7Meanwhile, in a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk to combine vinegar, sugar, capers, 1 teaspoon of salt, and red pepper flakes.Step 8When celery is tender, uncover, add garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes, increase heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes more. Drain and discard liquid from golden raisins.Step 9Return eggplant and peppers to pot along with vinegar mixture, golden raisins, olives, parsley, and pine nuts. Stir to combine and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. (Or store in the refrigerator overnight and serve the next day.)
Baby eggplant, or small varieties of eggplant like Fairytale Eggplant or Chinese Eggplant are perfect for this recipe, as they contain less moisture than larger eggplant. Their skin is also tender and not bitter when cooked, eliminating the need for peeling. If you’d like to make this recipe with larger eggplant, we recommend peeling and discarding the skin, cubing the flesh, salting the cubes, and leaving them in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes. After draining, rinse the eggplant and dry completely.You may be wondering why you can’t just sauté all the vegetables at the same time, instead of in stages. There are 2 reasons why taking the shortcut isn’t worth it: first, your veggies will caramelize more if cooked separately, and secondly, cooking vegetables this way helps them maintain their unique flavor, rather than absorbing each other’s flavor, like in a ratatouille. This is typical of a classic caponata.We highly recommend allowing the caponata cool completely before digging in. In fact, a full overnight stay in the fridge will yield a much more flavorful result, making this perfect for meal prep. (It’ll keep about a week in the fridge too!)
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
