incredible sicilian aubergine stew (caponata)

servings
4

method

This is a fantastic dish from southern Italy that's eaten as a warm vegetable side dish or a cold antipasto. Sicilians are proud that it's made with produce from their island. All the different methods of making it are more or less the same – the things that make it stand out and be special are the quality of the aubergines, tomatoes and vinegar. Always try to get hold of nice firm aubergines with very few seeds – have a look down in your local market to see if you can find different colours. You could even ask your veg boy to cut one open so you can check it out. Don't be tempted to cut the aubergine chunks too small or they will take on so much oil that they will become heavy. If this happens you don't get to admire the lovely creamy flavor and texture. I've eaten caponata that's been swimming in olive oil, but I much prefer mine to be less oily.

Get yourself a large pan, pour in a couple of lugs of olive oil, and place on the heat. Add your aubergine chunks and oregano, season with a little salt and toss around so the aubergine is evenly coated by the oil. Cook on a high heat for around 4 or 5 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then. (Depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook the aubergine in batches.) When the aubergines are nice and golden on each side, add the onion, garlic and parsley stalks and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Feel free to add a little more oil to the pan if you feel it's getting too dry. Throw in the drained capers and the olives and drizzle over the herb vinegar. When all the vinegar has evaporated, add the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 minutes or until tender. Taste before serving and season if you need to with salt, pepper and a little more vinegar. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley leaves and the almonds if you like.

• from Jamie's Italy

ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 nice large purple aubergines, cut into large chunks
• 1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, soaked and drained
• a handful of green olives, stones removed
• 2–3 tablespoons best-quality herb vinegar
• 5 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
optional: 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted

share this page

daily recipe rss

new recipe rss

tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Tufi on Mon 26 Dec 2011 @ 21:10

My wife and I made this recipe for family and friends. Huge success!!<br /> Had it on garlic rubbed toast, as the recipe suggests in the book. Delicious!!<br /> Easy and cheap, lovely and tasty. Just perfect!!

2. by Lottie on Fri 23 Sep 2011 @ 16:37

My Ma used to make this when I lived at home, and I find it's a great low carb vegetarian meal, and it's delicious! I also add mushrooms and courgette sometimes :)<br /> Lovely with quinoa!

3. by Elin on Wed 24 Aug 2011 @ 12:37

I recently managed to convince the chef of a local Greek restaurant to give me the recipe for his aubergine Imam. Defo worth a try, I love it!: http://elin-journal.blogspot.com/2011/03/aubergine-imam.html

4. by Irina on Sat 16 Jul 2011 @ 16:45

I have just cooked Caponata and it is lovely. The aubergines are very creamy and it both looks and tastes wonderful. Cooked aubergines in batches as describes and that worked really well. Will definitely make it again :)

5. by Annika on Mon 20 Jun 2011 @ 10:46

Well as I had no aubrgines buta nice fresh courgette I substituted the aubergine with the courgette and it was lovely, I also added a bit of smoked paprika and basil. But in the end it was a success... great recipe :)

6. by Ellie on Wed 15 Jun 2011 @ 08:39

I've made this recipe a few times, with no bitterness at all? The aubergines were so creamy and delicious, and the recipe cost me little over ten dollars- amazing for fellow students out there :)

leave comments