It’s that time of year when there is a bounty of vegetables available to cook. One of my favorites is eggplant. Whether grilled, a la parmigiana or rollatini, it’s a tasty treat!

Today’s tip is how to make caponata which is a type of eggplant spread. It’s great over crostini or if you want, tossed with pasta.

Caponata

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped (I like the inner hearts with the leaves)
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds eggplant diced into half inch cubes (remove some of the skin to reduce bitterness)
4-6 Roma tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds and skin if you wish. I normally don’t)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2-4 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup capers (rinsed clean of salt or squeezed to remove vinegar)

Directions:

Put 1/4 cup olive oil in large skillet and heat.
Add onion and celery and saute until you they are just starting to get a caramel color.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, and heat.
Add the eggplant and stir until the eggplant is getting browned.
Add the apple cider vinegar and deglaze the pan.
Mix in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, capers and sugar.
Cook until all the vegetables have melded together. About half an hour.
Salt and pepper to taste. Also, caponata has a sweet/sour kind of taste to it. Add vinegar/sugar to taste.
Place in a container or toss some with pasta!
Caponata will keep for about a week in the fridge.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip!