Aubergine Caponata
A classic Sicilian antipasto (appetiser) starring tender aubergine simmered in a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce with briny olives. Serve with plenty of crusty sourdough or focaccia to mop up every last saucy bit.
Ingredients
- 1½–2 aubergines, cut into large chunks
- olive oil, as needed
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ½ green pepper, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ⅓–½ cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 1½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar (alternatively, swap in white vinegar )
- 2–3 tsp dried oregano
- 2–3 tsp chilli flakes, (adjust to taste)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½-1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
Instructions
- Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the aubergine until soft, golden and tender on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add a little more olive oil to the pan and sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Add the green pepper, cherry tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until the tomatoes blister and soften.
- Stir in the tomato paste followed by the red wine vinegar. Cook over a low heat for 2–3 minutes until well combined.
- Add the oregano and chilli flakes, adjusting the seasonings to taste. Return the aubergine to the pan, fold through the fresh basil and simmer on low heat for another 2–3 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The flavours deepen beautifully overnight. Then all that's left to do is DIVE IN!
Notes
For a more traditional version, the aubergine can be deep-fried instead of pan-fried. This caponata tastes even better the next day once the flavours have had time to develop.