Caponata

There are many caponata recipes out there but this one drew my undivided attention and I wanted to taste it, so I made it. I used anchovies as directed in the recipe and so everybody in my house politely declined to eat the caponata. They claim anchovies have this horrible fishy smell but frankly speaking, I didn’t taste anything fishy by the time it was ready for eating. Anyway as this recipe is supposed to serve 4-6 people you can imagine my dilemma. First I grilled some slices of bread with olive oil and heaped them with lots of caponata and that was my breakfast, yesterday. Lunch time, I had some alongside my plate of Romano Bean Rice. Last night I had it with some fresh ricotta cheese. Thankfully I’ve gone through 5 servings and now I have only one more serving to go (LOL). Next time I shall half this recipe since my numerous attempts to cajole and convince others to eat fell on deaf ears. I wish you a lovely day and if you don’t care much for anchovies just omit them.

Please assemble ingredients before you start

In a medium sized pot, heat 2cm (3/4 inch) vegetable oil and fry the eggplant in batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Season with salt.

Brown the onions in olive oil, drain and set aside then sauté the celery, anchovies, capers and olives in oil for a few minutes then set aside.

To make tomato sauce: heat the tomato passata with the sugar and simmer, uncovered, until well reduced and darker in colour. Add the vinegar and continue simmering for another 5-8 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, add chopped parsley and remove from heat.

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl

add the sauce and mix thoroughly to combine. Allow to cool and serve.