Regional Recipe
Caponata
Sicilian sweet and sour eggplant
This is a sweet and sour eggplant dish: fried eggplant tossed with celery, onion, olives and capers, then balanced with vinegar and a little sugar.
Tested and written by Erika A. Cochran
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Prep
25 minutes
Cook
40 minutes
Serves
6
Difficulty
Moderate
Region
Sicily
What you’ll need
Ingredients
Written for 6.
Showing quantities at 1× the original recipe.
- 1¾ lb eggplant, cut into 1⅛ inches cubes (about 2–3 medium eggplants)
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 14 oz peeled tomatoes, crushed (about 3–4 medium tomatoes)
- 2⅞ oz green olives, pitted
- 1⅓ oz capers, rinsed
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Olive oil, for frying
- Basil and sea salt
At the stove
Instructions
Salt the eggplant for 30 minutes, then pat dry.
Fry it in batches in hot oil until browned and tender. Drain on paper.
In 3 tbsp oil, soften the onion and celery for 10 minutes, then add the tomatoes, olives and capers and cook 10 minutes more.
Stir the vinegar and sugar together and pour them in. Cook for 5 minutes so the sharpness settles.
Return the eggplant, turn everything gently, and cook 5 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and finish with basil. It is better after a few hours.
Recipe notes
The sweet-sour balance is a matter of taste — add the vinegar and sugar in stages.
Caponata keeps for several days refrigerated and improves overnight.
Context
Caponata is a documented Sicilian dish with many local versions; the constant is fried vegetables in a sweet-sour dressing, served at room temperature.
Sources: Editorial adaptation of documented Sicilian regional cooking, Casa Magnelli Kitchen
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