Eggplant Caponata | Imamother

Amarante

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 12:10 pm

This is another of my favorite eggplant dishes. I makes it ahead in large quantities and will nosh on it - sometimes I nosh too much of it. LOL

It's important to salt the eggplant before cooking to get rid of the excess liquid which is also bitter. After dicing, salt and put the eggplant in a colander with a plate weighed down with some cans. It should be sufficiently drained after an hour. Don't forget to rinse off the salt as I did once. LOL

I do make this doubled as the leftovers are so good and it's just as easy to double the recipe as make a smaller quantity.

The pine nuts are optional and if you are using them, sprinkle on when eating because the nuts will become soggy if they are in the caponata when eaten as leftovers. Trader Joe has pine nuts which are inexpensive.

Eggplant Caponata

1 large eggplant, peeled, cut into ⅔-inch dice

Coarse salt
⅓ cup olive oil
2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, cut into ½-inch dice
3 small stalks celery, cut into ½-inch dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 zucchini, cut into ⅔-inch dice
1 large red bell pepper, cut into ⅔-inch dice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup toasted pine nuts, optional

1 Place the eggplant in a colander. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let rest for 30 minutes. Rinse well with cold water, shaking the colander to remove as much water as possible.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

3 Add the rinsed eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, thyme, 1 tablespoon of salt, the basil and oregano. Cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and juice, vinegar and honey. Stir well. Simmer, uncovered, until the eggplant is just tender but keeps its shape and is not soft or mushy, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Taste; season to taste with pepper and salt. Stir in the pine nuts, if using.