Five Easy Steps to Prepare the Best Eggplant Caponata for Six!

Caponata is normally intended to be somewhat sweetish dish in taste, a touch vinegary. I normally love to include Fabrizia vinegar, yet since every vinegar brand have different qualities, therefore you can add the brand which suits your taste buds. You can salt the eggplant to avoid bitterness, if you have purchased those in larger size, else you can purchase the littler ones for best taste. This eggplant caponata keeps its taste fresh the freezer for a couple of days, so you can twofold the formula on the off chance if you need it to be consumed for some additional time.

• 3 branches of fresh celery (It is best to remove the leaves from the branches)
• Vegetable oil 1 cup (250ml), for frying, or if you like you can use olive oil instead
• Fresh eggplant 1-pound (450g)
• Salt according to your taste buds
• Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons
• 1 little red onion, which you will strip and cut into thin shape
• 1/2 cup (60g) green olives, all around hollowed and coarsely cleaved
• 2 tablespoons (30g) tricks, wash them well and best to be consumed if crushed dry
• 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons (225ml) best-quality tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons (40ml) wine vinegar, (you can add any of red or white)
• 1/2 tablespoon pure honey (or sugar if honey is not available)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• For serving and garnishing, you need fresh parsley or mint leaves

Step 1

Remove the leaves from the celery branches and cut the branches into 1/2-inch (1,25cm) thick cuts. Bring a medium measured pot of water to a low bubble and stew the celery until fresh delicate, around 5 to 7 minutes. Rinse with cool water and place this aside.

Step 2

Trim the stems off the eggplant and cut into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.

Step 3

Now heat 3/4-inch (2cm) of vegetable or olive oil in a cast iron pan. Cook the eggplant in clusters and avoid putting them all at once in the pan, keep turning them time to time, until they are fried well. Gently remove the fried eggplant slices from the pan with a slotted spoon and put on baking sheets and sprinkle with salt and mix well. Repeat the same method for the remaining eggplant slices. Likely, you can add more oil to the pan while frying if need.

Step 4

Now again, heat the olive oil in a huge pan (or Dutch oven). Put the onion and cook, keep stirring until turned brown (will take almost 5 to 7 minutes). Include the celery (prepared in step 1), olives, tricks, tomato sauce, vinegar, nectar, and red pepper flakes. Now, include the eggplant when the mixture comes to the low boil.

Step 5

Cook the blend at a stew, Keep mixing cautiously, and cook the mixture at a simmer, for 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful about the fried eggplant slices, don’t mash them. Taste, and include extra salt if required, and maybe needs additional sprinkle of vinegar. Remove from flame and move the caponata to a huge, shallow serving platter or bowl and let it cool.

Eggplant caponata is ideal to be served the next day after its preparation, so the ingredients and flavors get time to merge. Garnish with fresh parsley or mint leaves (which you already separated from branches). Likewise, Crostini also makes for the best garnishing for it. Top it with flame grilled bread and brush the bread with olive oil before grilling. Additionally, if you like, you can allow the bread to cool and smear it with crisp ricotta or another spreadable cheddar, at that point top with caponata.

Your best eggplant caponata meal is READY!