Eggplant Caponata Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is caponata made of? ›

Sicilian caponata is a tasty salad or relish made of eggplant with onions, celery, and tomatoes and augmented with tangy olives and capers. It's best the next day, so try to make it ahead and store it in the fridge in a tight-lid mason jar. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

This is a wonderful dish on its own, but is great as a side dish. It can be used in much the same way as you would with ratatouille, or with pasta, rice, cous cous, quinoa, roasted meats and fowl, crispy skinned roast duck, and oily fish like sardines, tuna, salmon and the like.

Cooking Method: Ratatouille is a stew where the vegetables are cooked together until tender, while Caponata involves frying the eggplant and then combining the ingredients to create a sweet and sour flavor profile.

For best flavor, allow the caponata to rest at room temperature for an hour, or longer in the refrigerator. Serve warm or at room temperature (some even enjoy it chilled), with crostini if desired. Caponata will keep for about 5 days, covered, in the fridge.

Caponata (Sicilian: capunata) is a Sicilian dish consisting of chopped fried eggplant/aubergine and other vegetables, seasoned with olive oil, tomato sauce, celery, olives, and capers, in an agrodolce sauce. Caponata.

From the Spanish "caponada", the word "caponata" derives from "capone", the name given in some parts of Sicily to the lampuga, a fish prized by the aristocracy that was seasoned with sweet and sour sauce. The people, unable to afford the expensive fish, replaced it with the cheaper aubergines and kept the tasty sauce.

Dried fruit and nuts provide textural contrast in Caponata. I used pine nuts and raisins, but as you've probably guessed, substitutions are welcome. Cranberries and slivered almonds could be fun! It's always nice to finish a rich, stewed dish like this with some fresh herbs.

How long does caponata keep? This recipe will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator when sealed in an airtight container. Additionally, you can add a little extra oil to any leftovers to further extend its shelf life.

Note: Caponata can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the fridge. To freeze, portion into small, pint-size containers and store up to 3 months.

Caponata and ratatouille are Mediterranean-style stews made of eggplant, tomatoes, and other vegetables. The difference is that while they share many of the same ingredients and flavors, Caponata is a Sicilian dish, and ratatouille is a French one.

What is ratatouille called in France? ›

The modern recipe for Ratatouille originated in the Nice and Provencal regions of France. Its official French name is Ratatouille Niçoise.

The climax of the film sees Remy prepare the titular dish in the form of confit byaldi for the notoriously harsh food critic Anton Ego, who unexpectedly loves the dish due to nostalgia for his mother's cooking of traditional ratatouille. The movie gave widespread exposure to this dish around the world.

How to Store Cut Eggplant. Storing cut eggplant isn't recommended because once the flesh is exposed, it will start browning and going bad. However, if you've already cut it, store it in the fridge in an airtight container. You may want to squeeze some lemon juice on top to prevent enzymatic browning.

If you don't intend to eat the eggplant within 2 days, it should be refrigerated. To refrigerate, wrap in a paper towel and place in a reusable container or perforated plastic bag in the crisper section of your refrigerator for use within 5 - 7 days.

To store your eggplant in the fridge, wrap it in a paper towel and place it in the crisper drawer. It should last there for up to a week, but if ethylene-producing fruits and veggies are nearby, it may go bad sooner. For the best results, try to store it away from other produce.

The eggplant reached Southern Italy by the 9th century CE. Arabs brought the fruits along with them as they expanded their territory into the region. Melanzane was consumed by fearless foodies in the Calabrian and Sicilian regions of Italy, although some people were initially wary of the funny egg-shaped produce.

While it may look a whole lot like the standard globe eggplant you find at the grocery store, Italian eggplant is distinct. It's slightly smaller, but still quite large and fat, and the flesh tends to be more tender. Use it in any preparation, but of course it's wonderful used in Italian dishes like caponata.

At first glance, Italian eggplants look just like globe eggplant but slightly smaller—this ultimately means the flesh is more tender when cooked. Try them in eggplant Parmesan, saucy eggplant adobo, or grill the halves and serve with a spicy tomato sauce and peanuts.

To me, the very best eggplant Parmesan is packed with silky layers of eggplant, a sweet and savory homemade tomato sauce, and enough melty cheese to get that quintessential cheese pull but not too much that it weighs the whole thing down. It should be decadent but not greasy, saucy but not soggy.