Hal’s Eggplant Caponata
Serves a crowd • Time 55 mins
Hannah’s dad, Hal, is a huge fan of seasonal produce, and of researching recipes, tweaking, and finessing them until they are just right. Needless to say, we get along quite well.
Based off an amalgamation of caponata recipes from Serious Eats, NY Times, this recipe is 98% Hal’s, with a small tweak or two from myself. Caponata uses late summer produce like eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes. The result is a little sweet, a little savory, perfectly punchy, and really delicious. Serve with a great piece of crusty bread, alongside fresh mozzarella, or pack for a lunch with crackers.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds eggplant cut into 1 inch cubes
8 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 medium yellow onion diced
2 ribs of celery, from the inside of the stalk, diced
3 large cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
2 red bell peppers diced
1 pound fresh tomatoes (such as Plum or Roma, peeled and finely chopped) or one 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons of Diamond Kosher salt divided (May need less if using another brand. Taste and add as you go.)
1 tablespoon + 1 pinch sugar
1/4 cup capers drained and rinsed
3oz or ~1/2 cup Castelvetrano olives (pitted and roughly chopped or torn)
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon red or white wine vinegar (or more to taste)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Fresh parsley and/or basil
Equipment
Large cast-iron or heavy bottomed skillet
Notes, Tips, & Tricks
*This dip is great at room temperature, or straight out of the fridge and keeps super well! Pack for a picnic with fresh crusty bread and some fresh mozzarella if you’re feeling fancy.
**Use a 15-inch skillet if you have one, and skip cooking the eggplant in batches.
Let’s Do It
Step 1
Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Once oil begins to shimmer, add eggplant cubes in a single layer. Make sure to leave a little space between the eggplant for proper browning, this means you may need to work in batches depending on the size of your pan. Cook eggplant cubes for about 7-10 minutes, reducing heat as needed and turning occasionally, until browned (but not burned) on all sides. Set cooked eggplant aside. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Note: If cooking eggplant in batches, make sure to remove the cooked eggplant from your pan, and add oil as needed to cook the remaining eggplant until all the eggplant has been browned.
Step 2
Wipe out skillet as needed and return skillet and 1 tablespoons of oil to medium high heat. Once oil begins to shimmer, add onions and celery. Season mixture lightly with salt and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, about 5-6 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook together for another minute, until the garlic in fragrant. Add diced bell pepper and a little more salt and cook, stirring, until just tender, about 8 minutes.
Step 3
Add remaining tablespoon of oil and the reserved eggplant to skillet and toss, cooking together for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Step 4
Add tomatoes to the pan with ~1/2 teaspoon salt, ground cinnamon, and sugar. Once simmering, turn pan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring, for around 5-10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat, and they smell fragrant (less time will be required if using canned tomatoes).
Step 5
Stir in olives and capers and vinegar. Continue to cook over medium-low, stirring often, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, and the mixture is thick and cohesive in flavor. Remove pan from the heat.
Step 6
Let mixture cool slightly, then taste and add additional salt, pepper, and vinegar until your caponata has your desired amount of “punch”. Let mixture cool to room temperature then mix in pine nuts and parsley and/or basil. (Save stirring in your herbs until go-time if you plan on keeping this in the fridge and eating it over multiple days or a week.) Serve at room temperature.