Caponata

Name: Caponata (Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant)
Yield: Serves 3 to 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley; 10 grams (2 teaspoons) capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped; Red pepper flakes; ½ teaspoon chopped fresh basil; 25 grams (¼ cup) pine nuts, toasted on a sheet pan at 149°C (300°F) until golden and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes; 25 grams (2 tablespoons) seeded and diced yellow bell pepper; Freshly ground black pepper; 10 grams (2 teaspoons) granulated sugar; 50 grams (¼ cup) diced red onion; 25 grams (2 tablespoons) seeded and diced green bell pepper; 20 milliliters (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) olive oil; 40 grams (1½ tablespoons) pitted black olives, roughly chopped; 50 grams (¼ cup) diced celery; 100 grams (½ cup) peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes; ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves; 30 grams (1¼ tablespoons) raisins, soaked in red wine vinegar to plump; Coarse salt; 225 grams (2½ cups) diced eggplant; 100 milliliters (¼ cup plus 2½ tablespoons) vegetable or peanut oil, for frying; 25 grams (2 tablespoons) seeded and diced red bell pepper; 20 milliliters (1 tablespoon) red wine vinegar, plus extra to soak raisins; 1 teaspoon very finely chopped unsweetened chocolate

Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant

Preparation info

Serves
3 to 4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine

By International Culinary Center , French Culinary Institute , Cesare Casella and Stephanie Lyness

Published 2021

About

Caponata is classically Sicilian, but many variations are found, even outside of Sicilia. The vegetables vary depending on the cook but the dish usually includes eggplant, celery, capers, green or black olives, and tomatoes. Unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder is often used to deepen the flavor and cut the acidity of the vinegar.

In this version, the vegetables are seasoned with vinegar and a little sugar to create the subtle sweet-and-sour flavor palette called agrodolce.

Ingredients

Method

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Antipasti

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