Caponata : Somewhere between a stew and a salad : It's tasty

Caponata is a Sicilian dish consisting of chopped fried eggplant/aubergine and other vegetables, seasoned with olive oil, tomato sauce, celery, olives, and capers.

Today, caponata is typically used as a side dish for fish dishes and sometimes as an appetizer, but since the 18th century it has also been used as a main course.

Variants may add carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, pine nuts, and raisins.

This authentic caponata is somewhere between a stew and a salad. Sweet and sour aubergines mix with salty olives, capers and tangy tomatoes. Best eaten at room temperature or just warm. Many enjoy this served with some with crusty ciabatta. There are some lower carb bread recipe suggestions here and here and here

Ingredients

Serves Four

4 medium aubergines/eggplants, chopped into 2cm/1in cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
100g/3½oz green olives
3 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1½ tbsp sugar, or to taste
handful flatleaf parsley, chopped
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method
1. Sprinkle the aubergines with salt and leave to drain in a colander for 30 minutes.
2. Heat some of the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the aubergine on a moderate heat for 10 minutes. When softened and browned, set aside. You may have to do this in batches.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and gently fry the onion and the celery until softened and translucent, but not browned. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 20 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
4.In a separate bowl, mix together the red wine vinegar and sugar. Add this to the pan with the aubergine and cook for 10 minutes. It is ready when the red wine vinegar has been absorbed.
5. Transfer the caponata to a large bowl, add the chopped parsley and mix well. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve. Serve hot or at room temperature.

From original idea here

If you've seen Inspector Montalbano on television I'm sure he would enjoy this dish! LOL!

You will find a variety of recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan