href="http://www.skiplombardi.com/website/cookbooks/cucinadeipoveri.ht
m" target="_blank">"La Cucina dei Poveri."
My Grandmother's Caponata
When the garden was in full swing during the summer, Noonie (my
grandmother) would harvestùwell, more accurately, she would
direct Pop (my grandfather) to harvest some eggplant, tomatoes, and
peppers for this delicious antipasto that she referred to
as 'Caponatina. My recollections fail as to how she served it, but
I'm betting that it was over a piece of Italian bread that Pop had
fried in olive oil.
Nowadays, I serve it over bruschetta made from some good Tuscan bread
thatùI'm happy to reportùseems to be turning up more and
more frequently at supermarket bakeries.
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 Medium onion, peeled, and chopped
1 Medium eggplant (approximately 1 1/4 Lb.) cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Medium bell peppers
1/4 Lb. Green olives, pits removed
1 Tbs. Capers
1 Cup Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
1/2 Cup raisins
2 Tbs. Fresh mint, chopped
1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes
Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a sautÚ pan over medium-high heat, then add
the garlic. SautÚ until the garlic just begins to give off its
aromaùperhaps a minute or two. Add the onion and sautÚ for about five
minutes, until it becomes translucent.
Add the eggplant and sautÚ for about five minutes or until it
begins to soften, but still has plenty of texture. Add the peppers,
olives, and capers and sautÚ until the peppers become tender. Add the
tomatoes and continue cooking to incorporate the tomatoes with the
other ingredients and to begin to form a sauce.
Add the sugar, spreading it evenly over the pan, then the vinegar,
raisins, mint, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to blend all the
ingredients, then remove from the heat.
Italians typically serve Caponata at room temperature.
Serves four to six.
******************************************************************
About the Author:
Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri:
Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost Italian: Recipes
from America's Little Italys." He has been a Broadway musician,
high-school math teacher, software engineer, and a fledgeling
blogger.
But he has never let any of those pursuits get in the way of his
passion for cooking and eating. Visit his Web site to learn more
about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com or contact Mr.
Lombardi at info@...
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Tags: full swing, cloves garlic, medium onion, cup sugar, red wine vinegar, eggplants
