Sicilian Eggplant Caponata

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Here are the main ingredients you'll need for Sicilian eggplant caponata. Wash all the vegetables well under running water.

2. Step 2:

   

   Cut the eggplant into medium pieces. If yours are large, slice them into rounds first, then cut each round into 2 or 4. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and cover with water. Truly bitter eggplant is rare these days, but don't skip this step: after soaking in salted water, the eggplant absorbs far less oil while frying.

3. Step 3:

   

   Remove the seeds and stems from the peppers and cut them into strips, as shown. For a bright, colorful dish, use peppers of different colors.

4. Step 4:

   

   Slice the celery into pieces no more than 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.

5. Step 5:

   

   Heat vegetable oil in a skillet for frying the eggplant — eyeball the amount. Drain the salted water from the eggplant and squeeze it gently. Add it to the pan and fry, stirring constantly, until golden (about 5 minutes). Then transfer the eggplant to paper towels to drain off the excess oil.

6. Step 6:

   

   Peel the onion and garlic and rinse them in cold water. Cut the onion into thin wedges and finely mince the garlic. This recipe uses red onion, but a regular yellow onion works too.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cut the tomatoes into cubes. If you'd rather not have the skins in the finished dish, peel them first: pour boiling water over the tomatoes for a minute or two, and the skins will slip right off. This recipe uses regular tomatoes plus cherry tomatoes (which are sweeter and more flavorful in winter).

8. Step 8:

   

   Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the peppers and celery to the hot oil and fry, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.

9. Step 9:

   

   Next add the onion and garlic and keep stirring. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Add the tomatoes to the pan. Season with salt (go easy — the olives and capers you'll add at the end are already salty). Also add a pinch of sugar, ground allspice and red pepper, chili to taste, dried basil, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar (the recipe uses 5% vinegar). Stir and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

11. Step 11:

    

    Stir in the eggplant.

12. Step 12:

    

    Then add the olives and capers (halve or slice the olives if you like). Stir gently again, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

13. Step 13:

    

    Take the finished caponata off the heat and let it rest, covered, for a while before serving.