This caponata recipe is a sweet and sour Sicilian type of ratatouille. It’s made of eggplant, celery, tomatoes and bell pepper. Capers are also added often, and olives as well from time to time…
Have you ever been to Sicily before?
Do you know Sicily or where it is? Sicily is an Italian island in the mediterranean.
There’s another large Italian island you might have heard of before: Sardinia. This caponata recipe comes from Sicily. It is a gorgeous Sicilian eggplant salad recipe.
Sicilia
It contains a bunch of cooked vegetables such as chopped eggplant, tomatoes, celery and bell pepper.
You can best describe this caponata recipe as a sweet and sour Sicilian version of the French vegetable ratatouille. Do you know that dish? You certainly know the movie about that rat and the French restaurant!
I love cooking with eggplant.
Do you say eggplant or aubergine where you live by the way? Because eggplant is very subtle in flavor but has a meaty texture, it is particularly good in a strong sweet and sour dish like caponata.
Yum!
Easy Caponata Recipe (Sicilian Eggplant Stew)
So how do you serve this dish best?
Is it a side dish, a lunch salad or an appetizer?
Or something else?
First of all Sicilian caponata tastes best if you serve cold. Not fridge cold but at room temperature. And it tastes even better if you leave it to marinate and rest overnight if you ask me.
I like this caponata as a side salad for fish or beef for instance.
Side Salad
You can also add it to a mediterranean mezze dinner.
Another way to serve this caponata: it also is a great alternative for the classic tomato bruschetta. Grill a few slices of bread and put some of this cold eggplant stew on top.
Excellent starter as well.
Enough ways to serve it then. It’s totally up to you now!
Enjoy!
Easy Sicilian Caponata Recipe
This caponata recipe is a sweet and sour Sicilian ratatouille made of eggplant, celery, tomatoes, bell pepper, capers and olives...
- 1 large fresh eggplant
- 2 stalk fresh celery
- 1 large fresh tomato
- 3,5 oz canned chopped tomatoes (100 g)
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 2 tsp garlic paste or 1 big clove
- 2 tbsp capers in brine rinsed and drained
- 3 tbsp black olives pitted and chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- pepper
- salt
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Wash and clean the bell pepper, eggplant, celery stalk and tomato. Then chop them all up into small chunks. Pour a little bit of olive oil in a large non-stick pan and add the bay leaves and garlic paste.
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Place the pan over medium heat and then stir fry the garlic for a minute and then add the chopped eggplant.
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Cook for a couple of minutes and add the chopped celery.
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Stir well and cook for 4 minutes. Then add the chopped bell pepper and tomato.
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Stir well again and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the canned chopped tomatoes and a little splash of water.
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Then bring the vegetables to a boil and then simmer them under a lid for 10 minutes until soft. Stir regularly. Pour in the red wine vinegar.
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Now stir in the salted capers and the chopped black olives (if using).
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Stir well and then check the seasoning. Add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Take the pan off the heat and let the vegetables cool down at room temperature. Serve cold.
