Caponata is a sweet and sour dish from Sicily consisting of eggplant, celery, and capers. In addition to these three main ingredients, caponata often contains a mix of other vegetables. We added chopped red bell pepper to our recipe for color and texture as well as tomato paste for its concentrated flavor. Salting the eggplant before slow cooking removes excess moisture so the flavors in the caponata are not diluted. Caponata is even better the next day, so if you have the time and the patience, we recommend letting it rest in the fridge overnight before serving.
Caponata
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp capers, drained
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts, optional
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 baguette, sliced and toasted
Directions
1) Toss eggplant with 1 tsp salt; set aside in a colander to drain while preparing the other vegetables.
2) Finely chop celery. Mince garlic. Stem and seed bell pepper and then cut into ½ inch pieces. Toss vegetables with olive oil and then divide between two Suvie pans. Broil vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
3) Divide the tomato paste, capers, vinegar, and sugar between the two pans, stirring to incorporate. Insert pans into your Suvie, input settings, and cook now or schedule.
Suvie Cook Settings
Bottom Zone: Slow Cook High for 2 hours
4) Remove pans from your Suvie. and stir in capers, mint, and parsley. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar. Allow to cool to room temperature. Ideally, cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. Serve with toasted baguette slices.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information per serving (4 servings per recipe): Calories 135, Total Fat 7g, Total Carbohydrates 18g, Total Sodium 822mg, Total Protein 3g