SICILIAN CAPONATA is a cold dish, typical Sicilian. A side dish or second course based on sweet and sour vegetables: aubergine, celery, onions and tomato, flavoured with olives, capers and pine nuts. There are 37 versions throughout Sicily, each area has its own recipe, a dish with ancient origins, which in the past was served with bread as a single dish. A very simple and easy recipe, perfect to prepare in advance, because it can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. This is the version of my family, taught me by my grandmother.
Ingredients:
- 4 Purple aubergine (large)
- 2 White or Red onions (large)
- 3 Sticks of celery
- 1 Tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 Tablespoon Capers (desalted)
- 10 Green olives in brine
- 300ml Tomato Passata Rustica
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- half glasses Red wine vinegar
- q.b. salt
- 1 tsp tomato extract
Let's start
Wash and cut the aubergines into coarse cubes. Sprinkle them, in layers, with salt (no need to exaggerate, just a pinch!) In this way, you will eliminate the vegetation water. Then, squeeze them with your hands and fry the diced aubergines in boiling seed oil. Eliminate excess oil by draining them in a colander.
In a pan put the onions cut into rings with olive oil. Then, put them aside and fry, for about 10 minutes, the celery stalks cut into slices of about half a cm.
Now, pour in the tomato puree and extract, mix, add salt and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the desalted capers, olives without the stone, the pine nuts and finally the fried aubergines.
Mix and season with sugar and add the vinegar. Continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, season with salt if needed. When it is all compact and no watery is ready to serve.
Serve the Sicilian Caponata hot, or keep it in the refrigerator for a cold version. The cold is my favourite!
Enjoy ;-)