Caponata

Dear to both our hearts, an Italian Caponata is the ultimate Charcuterie add on. But that doesn`t mean that you need to have a full charcuterie board to enjoy it, you can eat the caponata on its own, with chips, crostini, (more) vegetables and even just top a nice plate of Bolognese pasta for some added crunch and flavour.

Cut 1 Eggplant into big slices and salt it lightly, this will help get the bitterness out of the eggplant. Also slice 1 Zucchini, cut 1 Red Onion, ½ Red Pepper and ½ Green Pepper into large pieces, – they should be large enough to not easily fall through the cracks on your grill.

Grilling is an optional step in making the caponata, but the charred vegetable will give you even more flavour if you choose to do so. Grill the cut vegetables for a few minutes in batches, until they have some grill marks and start to get tender. Cut them into 1-inch cubes then reserve in a large bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan and saute the reserved vegetables and 1 thinly sliced garlic clove for another 5 minutes or so, or until they`re fully cooked and the eggplant is starting to melt. If you chose not to grill the vegetables, it will take a couple of extra minutes to get to the same texture.

Remove from heat and add it back into the large bowl. Mix with 1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh parsley and fresh basil, 2 tablespoons each of sliced olives (green or black, up to you) and capers, 1 tablespoon each of honey, red wine vinegar, pine nuts (you can use chopped walnuts), and pickled red peppers (optional), and another 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. The better the olive oil is, the tastier the caponata will be. Quarter about 15 cherry tomatoes and mix them in as well. Let everything marinate for 10 minutes before serving.

Use the caponata as a dip, topping, spread or a meal on its own. Our recommended and favourite use is to make Caponata Bruschettas. For that, slice a baguette or another hard-crusted bread thinly (easier to do so with a bread knife when the baguette has been frozen), drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on them and bake in a baking sheet with parchment paper for about 5-10 minutes at 350F. Once they`re crunchy and golden, remove from the oven and top them with caponata.

Caponata

Servings: About 3 Cups

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 Eggplant

1 Zucchini

½ Red Onion

½ Green Pepper

½ Red Pepper

1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

1 Tbsp Chopped Basil

2 Tbsp Sliced Olives

2 Tbsp Capers

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Garlic Clove

15 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp Pine Nuts (Chopped walnuts are fine too)

¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Pickled Hot Peppers (optional)

Step-by-Step

1.       Slice eggplant, zucchini, red onion and peppers into large pieces. Lightly salt the eggplant and leave it for 5 minutes.

2.       Grill the cut vegetables in medium-high heat until slightly tender and browned.

Note: Grilling is optional, it`s just meant to add a little more flavour, but if you don`t have one available, skip #2,

3.       Cut them into large chunks. In a large pan, sauté the same vegetables with 2 tbsp of olive oil and sliced garlic on medium heat for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are fully cooked and the eggplant is starting to melt.

4.       Add them to a large bowl with all other ingredients and the rest of the olive oil. Let it all marinate for 10 minutes before eating and enjoy with crostini and chips.