Name: Caponata
Yield: Makes about 6 cups
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon coarse (kosher) salt; ½ cup olive oil; 1½ pounds unpeeled eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes; 1 cup coarsely diced onion (½-inch dice); 3 or 4 medium sweet red peppers, cut into ¾-inch squares (to make 2½ cups); ½ teaspoon minced garlic; 2 tablespoons sugar; ¼ cup red wine vinegar; Ripe Italian-type tomatoes (about 8 medium), pureed in a food processor or blender (to make 2 cups puree); Salt and ground black pepper to taste; 2 to 3 tablespoons capers (the smallest available); ¼ cup pitted, sliced oil-cured black olives; 1 cup coarsely diced celery (½-inch dice)

Preparation info

Makes about
6 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Better Than Store-Bought

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

About

If you are familiar with this Italian eggplant appetizer only in its canned or bottled form, you will probably be delighted to know that you can make your own during the season—summer and early fall—and freeze it successfully. We tried many recipes before we settled on this flavorful version in which the vegetables remain fairly firm, not softened to a near puree, as is sometimes preferred.