This is a seriously wonderful Mediterranean dish of vegetables coated in a tangy tomato sauce.
Caponata uses delicious ingredients such as aubergines, celery, red onions, courgettes, olives and capers that are fried before getting coated in a slightly sour and slightly sweet tomato-based sauce.
I have never eaten caponata until a recent cruise, where it was served to me at the start of a meal.
At first I thought it was very much in the ratatouille camp – a dish I find hard to get excited about! – but I was so wrong!
Despite the similarities, caponata is certainly not ratatouille. I found the caponata to have much more flavour, with its enticing combination of sweet, sharp and sour. The vegetables in caponata retain their texture and identity, so it is less mushy than a ratatouille can be.
From talking to the chef, there are so many different versions of caponata. This is my version of the one I tasted, using pointers from the chef as a starting point (the importance of the vinegar and capers) and a couple of attempts at home to nail it.
Is my caponata truly authentic? Probably not.
Does it taste great? Absolutely yes!
I’ve since made this caponata several times. It is lovely served hot as a pasta sauce (I have even used it as a ragù alternative for lasagne), BUT it really comes alive if served a day or so afterwards at room temperature, by which time the flavours will have developed even further.
My absolute favourite way of eating caponata is having it spooned liberally onto crispy bread, bruschetta-style. But a bowl of it on the table, for any good bread to be dunked into is a real joy!
Recipe: caponata – serves 6 as a starter
- 1 medium aubergine, cut into small cubes
- 1 medium courgette, cut into small cubes
- 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 celery stick, trimmed and cut into small cubes
- 1 red onion, peeled and either sliced or diced
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into small cubes
- 4 large tomatoes, cut into small pieces – no need to peel!
- 200g passata (I use about half a carton and freeze the rest)
- 60g green olives, quartered or halved
- 50g capers, drained
- 50g raisins
- 1 heaped tablespoon caster or granulated sugar
- 100ml red wine vinegar
- about 1 tablespoon parsley (stalks and leaves), finely chopped
- 60ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- several grindings of black pepper
To finish:
- 1 tablepoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
(1) Heat about half of the oil in a large pan or wok over a medium heat and add the cubed aubergines and courgette along with about half a teaspoon of salt. Fry gently for about 15 minutes, stirring very gently after 5 minutes or so, until they have softened and have golden-brown tinges.
NB: don’t stir too much – the trick is to let the heat of the pan slowly colour the aubergines and courgettes a little before giving them a gentle stir to turn some of them over before continuing the colouring.
(2) Spoon the aubergines and courgettes into a bowl and stir in about half of the crushed garlic. Set aside.
(3) Add the rest of the oil to the pan or wok and heat gently. Add the celery, the red onion, red pepper and the rest of the garlic.
(4) Fry gently for about 10 minutes or until the onion is soft and takes on a little golden-brown colour.
(5) Stir in the rest of the ingredients, including seasoning, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer gently with the lid off for about 20 minutes or until the tomato sauce has well reduced by a least half and is merely coating the vegetables.
NB: as the sauce reduces, the flavour intensifies.
(6) Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked aubergines and courgettes, coating them well in the sauce.
(7) Allow to cool and cover. You can refrigerate the caponata for 2-3 days until you want to use it.
(8) When you want to eat the caponata, take it out of the fridge and decant into a serving bowl. Once it has reached room temperature, drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and scatter over the parsley. Dive in with chunks of good bread!
