Caponata is a traditional Sicilian eggplant dish that is usually served as an appetizer. Here, we share with you the official Sicilian Eggplant Caponata recipe filed with the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. PIATTO has translated this recipe into English for your convenience!
Sicilian Eggplant Caponata: Ingredients
Ingredients for 4
- eggplants: 4 (not too big and quite firm)
- peppers: 4 (with thick skins)
- celery
- green olives: 20 (seeds removed)
- capers: 1 tbsp
- onion: 1
- peeled tomatoes: 4
- granulated sugar: 1 tbsp
- white vinegar: one cup
- extra-virgin olive oil
- fresh mint: 1 handful
- fine salt
How to Make Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
Translated from the traditional recipe:
Cut all of the vegetables into cubes: celery, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Cut the onion into thin slices. Salt and put pressure on the eggplant cubes [presumably with a heavy plate] in order to drain any bitter liquid from the eggplant. Then, rinse and dry the eggplant cubes.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté all of the following separately: first the eggplant (drain then set aside). Then sauté the peppers, the celery and finally the onion.
Add the tomato pulp (roughly chopped), thicken it a bit and then set it aside. At this point, heat up all of the vegetables in the pan, mixing in: the capers, the olives, the mint and finally the sugar together with white vinegar. Adjust the salt (to taste) and stir gently to mix everything together. Simmer until the vinegar evaporates and the caponata is shiny.
Let it rest and serve warm or cold.
About Sicilian Caponata
Translated from the traditional recipe:
The Caponata has a purely Sicilian connotation as if the mix of vegetables represented the abundance of vegetables on the island. A typical dish from Sicily’s aristocratic history, the main ingredient then was fish which was accompanied by vegetables. In the popular traditional version, only the vegetables in the dish remain.
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Sicilian Eggplant Caponata Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggplants not too big and quite firm
- 4 bell peppers with thick skins
- celery to taste
- 20 green olives seeds removed
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 4 peeled tomatoes
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- olive oil extra virgin; to taste
- 1 handful fresh mint
- fine salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut all of the vegetables into cubes: celery, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Cut the onion into thin slices.
- Salt and put pressure on the eggplant cubes [presumably with a heavy plate] in order to drain any bitter liquid from the eggplant. Let the eggplant rest like this for 30 minutes to 1 hour.Then, rinse and dry the eggplant cubes.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté all of the following separately: first the eggplant (drain then set aside). Then sauté the peppers, the celery and finally the onion.
- Add the tomato pulp (roughly chopped), thicken it a bit and then set it aside.
- At this point, heat up all of the vegetables in the pan, mixing in: the capers, the olives, the mint and finally the sugar together with white vinegar.
- Adjust the salt (to taste) and stir gently to mix everything together.
- Simmer until the vinegar evaporates and the caponata is shiny.
- Let it rest and serve warm or cold.
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