Caponata is a bit like ratatouille, the provencal dish, and comes from Sicily. It has a lot of the same ingredients, but, the main difference is that is a sweet-and-sour concoction. Another difference is that ratatouille is part of a meal whereas caponata sort of shines on its own.

I serve it as an appetizer over slices of crusty bread or as a bruschetta over toasted slices of ciabatta or sourdough. But, caponata, because of its sweet-and-sour nature, can also be paired with roasted meat such as lamb or pork.

But the versatility of caponata does not stop here! Caponata can be blended either in a food processor or a hand blender into a spread.

Years ago we frequented an Italian restaurant in Georgetown which placed a little bowl of a mystery spread on the table along with with slices of crusty bread. We would dig in! When, intrigued, we asked the waiter about the spread, he told us that it was blended caponata. Ok! Yet another way to use caponata.

The versatility of caponata are its good points. The bad point is that its preparation is rather work-intensive. I like to sauté my eggplant, but another way to do it is to simply roast sliced eggplant and then cut it up into chunks to incorporate into the other ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. 1 ½ pounds eggplant
2. 2 tablespoons salt
3. 3 tablespoons olive oil
4. 1 medium onion
5. 2 stalks of celery
6. 3 large garlic cloves
7. 2 red bell peppers,
8. salt to taste
9. 1-pound ripe Roma tomatoes
10. 3 tablespoons capers
11. 3 tablespoon green olives
12. bay leaves, optional
13. 2 tablespoons sugar
14. 3 tablespoons wine vinegar

Directions:

Chop the eggplant into 1” chunks.

Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Place the colander on a plate to gather the liquid.

Meanwhile, chop the onion, dice the celery and the bell pepper, mince the garlic, coarsely chop the green olives, and rinse and drain the capers. 

Measure out the sugar & the vinegar.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet and add the onion and the celery.

In another skillet, over medium heat, add one tablespoon of oil and then begin sauteing the red pepper.

Cook the onion and celery till softened (about 5 minutes) and add the garlic.

Cook for a minute or two till the garlic is fragrant and add the bell peppers & ½ teaspoon salt.

Cook stirring, mixing the onion, garlic, and pepper mixture.

Set aside and cook the eggplant in the same manner.

Add the eggplant to the pan with the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and mix well. 

Add the tomatoes in the pan with another ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar. 

Cook the mixture another 10 minutes or so.

Add the capers olives, remaining sugar, and vinegar. 

Turn the heat to medium low and cook, stirring often, to 20-30 minutes.

Season to taste with salt & pepper and remove from heat. 

Allow to cool to room temperature.