Prep. time: 40
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Serve: 4
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants, diced
3 large red peppers, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
medium onion, diced
1 garlic
Salt to taste
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, I used camone tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons plus of sugar
freshly ground pepper to taste
parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Sauté onion and garlic in a large pan over medium heat. Cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add in tomato paste, eggplant and tomatoes. Meanwhile prepare bell pepper. Cut the peppers in half and remove the stalk, seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers under a hot grill (or oven) skin side up, turning as the skin blackens. Seal in a plastic bag and leave to cool. Remove the peppers from the bag. The skin should now peel away easily. Diced bell peppers and add it to eggplant.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened. Season caponata with sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.
Chef Tips:
The trick is to salt the eggplant before cooking it. At least a half tablespoon of salt for every medium-sized eggplant. It seems excessive, but this salt will help to draw the bitter liquid out from the eggplant while simultaneously seasoning the eggplant from the inside out. It also helps the eggplant pieces stay more shapely and become tender during cooking instead of becoming water-logged and soggy. Let the salted eggplant sit for at least 1/2 hour or up to 1 1/2 hours. You’ll see beads of moisture start to form on the surface of the eggplant as it sits.
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