Caponata
in Sicilian:
Capunata
Caponata is a vegetable dish and one of the most traditional recipes in Sicily.
The undisputed star among the vegetables used to prepare this dish is eggplant. It was introduced to Sicily by the Arabs and has become one of the most widely used ingredients in the island’s cuisine. With eggplant as one of its key ingredients alone, Caponata is a true symbol of Sicily: a colourful, well-balanced mix of different influences and flavours, with slight variations depending on the city. Our recipe comes from the area around Catania and is a true family recipe. The essence of Caponata lies in the combination of sweet and sour flavours, with the sweetness coming solely from the long cooking time in the oven, without the addition of sugar. The vinegar provides a subtle acidity. When preparing Caponata, it is important to allow plenty of time. Only then can the dish fully develop its rich flavour.
Caponata is delicious both hot and cold, making it suitable as a main course as well as a side dish or antipasto.
Caponata - eatlovesicily.com
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time1 hr 20 min
- Perform Time4 hr
- Total Time5 hr 50 min
- Yield4 plates
- Serving Size4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 medium eggplants
- 3 carrots
- 3 tomatoes
- 4 potatoes
- 4 bell peppers
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 large onion
- 5 tbsp green olives
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp raisins, to taste
- 1 glass of tomato passata
- 1/2 glass red wine vinegar
- ½–1 tbsp brown sugar, to taste
- Olive oil
- Salt, pepper
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Instructions
First, cut the eggplant into small cubes and place them in a colander. Salt each layer generously to draw out the excess water from the vegetable. It is best to place the colander over a plate to collect the liquid. Leave the eggplant in the colander for about three hours, salting it again in between if necessary.
While the eggplant is resting, you can start cutting all the remaining ingredients into small cubes as well.
Once the egplgant has been left in the colander for about three hours to release its excess water, dry it thoroughly with kitchen paper.
Drizzle olive oil into a large baking dish, preferably a metal one, add all the ingredients and mix everything together well. Season with a little salt and pepper. Then place the baking dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven at 170°C (340°F), using conventional top and bottom heat.
Tip: If you prefer a slightly sweeter version, add 1 tbsp of raisins.
After about 15 minutes, add the tomato passata and mix everything together well again.
Leave the vegetables in the oven for at least another 45 minutes, stirring them about every 15 minutes. If the vegetables look rather dry, you can add a little more tomato passata until the mixture reaches a creamy consistency.
Once the vegetables are well cooked, add half a glass of red wine vinegar, mix everything together well again, and return the dish to the oven for another 15–20 minutes at the same temperature.
At the end, turn off the oven and give everything one final stir. Leave the baking dish in the switched-off oven for about an hour with the oven door closed.
After an hour, remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the Caponata to cool slightly. Serve with fresh white bread. Buon appetito!
Tip: We recommend preparing the vegetable dish a few hours before serving. The longer the finished dish is left to rest, the more intense its flavour becomes. That’s why Caponata also tastes delicious cold the next day – if anything, it may be even better.
