Making Caponata

July 21, 2019

"What did you eat?"

"Caponata" he said in a choked up voice.

How on earth was it possible to get a lump in ones throat simply by uttering the word Caponata?

(The Wings of the Sphinx, an Inspector Montalbano Mystery by Andrea Camilleri)

Caponata is a classic Sicilian dish which ranks high with my love affair for arancini, pasta alla norma and cannoli. So I know exactly how Inspector Montalbano feels in this excerpt from one of Andrea Cameilleri's books.

The inspectors cure for incipient melancholy is a plateful of caponata with grilled mullet in his favourite restaurant Enzo's, followed by a walk and a cigarette.

I think everyone can remember their first taste of this Sicilian dish which explodes with an agro dolce (sweet and sour) flavour. My first memory was an evening meal at a friends house.

We had the pleasure of being introduced to Nunzio Franco and his son Vincenzo from Franco Group Taormina just after we had bought our Sicilian home and we were soon made to feel part of the family.

One evening we sat around a huge long table with all the family and a plate of caponata was placed in front of me expertly prepared by Nunzio's wife Anna and that was the beginning of my obsession with caponata. We were flying to London the next day so I asked Anna for the recipe and she explained how to make it and then my poor husband was fed caponata for five nights in a row thereafter.

The dish is usually served as an antipasti or as a side dish, warm or at room temperature.

The aroma when caponata is being cooked is heavenly and when my lovely Sicilian neighbour cooks it for lunch the fragrance wafts upstairs causing my stomach to go into a frenzy.

The original recipe combines Sicilian baroque with the vegetables that grow in abundance throughout the island. The dish is bright in colour and each ingredient almost looks like sparkling jewels.

Caponata can be traced back to when the Spanish invaded Sicily, the name derives from the Catalan word 'Caponada' and the first written reference goes back as far as 1709.

Originally the dish would have been made with a fish such as tuna or swordfish but only for the wealthy Sicilians, the poor people replaced the fish with aubergines creating the dish we know today.

The main ingredients include aubergine (eggplant), tomatoes and red peppers, but what gives this dish its own unique taste is the addition of sugar and red wine vinegar giving it that agro dolce taste.

As always in Sicily each region has its own version, in Palermo they add honey and over on our side of the island they add potatoes or carrots. Sometimes the traditional ingredient of pine nuts are replaced with chopped almonds. In Modica a south eastern town famous for its produce of chocolate they grate chocolate on top.

At Christmas an all white version of this dish known as 'Rabbit' Caponata is made in Pollizi Generosa, a hilltop town in the province of Palermo, using artichokes and potatoes, but not tomatoes. The name is ironic as in times gone by many were too poor to even afford rabbit.

You will find this tempting dish on most restaurant menus across the island ranging from agriturismi, traditional trattorias and fine dining restaurants and it is a firm favourite to make if you book a Sicilian cooking class.

Caponata is a true taste of Sicily and its history.

Here is Anna's traditional recipe but you can adapt it to suit your taste buds. I sometimes remove an ingredient and add mushrooms, carrots or potatoes. If you do, which I very much doubt, have any leftovers it is delicious on freshly baked bread the next day.

Anna's Caponata

2 Aubergine's (Eggplant) chopped into cubes

1 Large Onion, coarsely chopped

3 Celery Sticks, sliced

2 Red Peppers, cut into chunks

50g Pine Nuts

Garlic Clove, chopped

400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons of Capers in Brine, rinsed

50g of Pitted Sicilian Olives

3 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Caster Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Dried Sicilian Oregano

Salt and Pepper

100ml of Sicilian Olive Oil

Chopped Sicilian Almonds to Top (Optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or heavy based saucepan on a high eat until it shimmers. Add the aubergines in batches and cook stirring frequently for 5 to 6 minutes until they are golden and tender. Use a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl and put to one side.

Pour away all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Add the onion, celery, red pepper and pine nuts and cook over a slow heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Return the aubergines back to the pan and stir in the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring the pan to the boil, then reduce and simmer.

Remove from the heat and leave to stand to allow the flavours to mingle.

Serve warm or at room temperature as an antipasti or even as a vegetarian main course with some bread.

Buon appetito

🍆🍅🍄

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in Taormina, Catania, Siracusa, Scicli, Agrigento, Palermo,
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