Sicilian Eggplant Caponata

La storia di questo piatto

Caponata is Sicily gathered into a single dish, where sweet, salty and sour hold one another in perfect balance. Aubergine, capers, olives, raisins and pine nuts speak of an island that has always lived by contrasts and made them harmony.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Eggplants
• 150 g Onion
• 150 g Celery (heart and tender stalks)
• 150 g Pitted green olives
• 30 g Salt-packed capers
• 40 g Raisins
• 30 g Pine nuts
• 400 g Peeled canned tomatoes
• 100 ml Red wine vinegar
• 30 g Sugar
• 250 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 10 g Salt
• 1 g Black pepper

Preparazione

1. Cut the eggplants into cubes of about 1 cm. Place them in a colander and season with about 6 g of salt (the remaining 4 g will be used to adjust the sauce). Let them drain for 30 minutes, then squeeze them with your hands and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess salt and liquid.
2. Meanwhile, soak the raisins in lukewarm water. Cut the celery heart and tender stalks into half-centimeter cubes and blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain. Rinse the salt-packed capers under cold water, then soak them in water for 10–15 minutes to desalt them, and drain. Slice the onion thinly.
3. In a wide pan, heat about 200 ml of oil to 170–180°C: the oil is ready when a cube of eggplant or a piece of bread sizzles immediately. Fry the eggplant in 3–4 batches, in a single layer, until golden at the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
4. Leave only 3–4 tablespoons of the frying oil in the pan (the rest can be strained and stored for other uses). Over medium heat, soften the onion for about 5 minutes, without letting it brown too much, then add the blanched celery and continue cooking for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
5. Deglaze the soffritto with the vinegar and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the sharper vapors of the vinegar disappear. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with the spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces.
6. Return the fried eggplant to the sauce, along with the pitted olives, desalted capers, squeezed raisins and pine nuts. Lower the heat to minimum and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring gently so the flavors blend. Taste and adjust the salt (no more than the remaining 4 g, considering the saltiness of the olives and capers), adding pepper sparingly.
7. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Caponata is best after a few hours of resting, or even better the next day. Before serving, taste and correct the salt if needed.