After a few days in Sicily, the taste buds crave those sweet and sour, sharp and soft sensations you experience from a plate of antipasti misto: olives, a shaving of pecorino, rich tasting tomatoes, a little savoury sausage or italian ham and the best of all, caponata. I realised that I have a recipe for something like this aubergine stew/come sauce, so here goes - maybe not entirely authentic but pretty good as a start to a meal or as part of a fabulous plate of tastes.
Caponata
I large aubergine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
At least 1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
Some olives, black or green, and parsley to finish
This is easy to produce in quantities - 2 aubergines etc.
An optional extra is some chopped tomatoes or a small tin at the stewing stage.
You could also try this mushroom version which I think the Sicilians would approve of. The two together might make a meal with bread or rice or could be part of a substantial feast or buffet for a crowd.
Mushroom starter
3-4 cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons oil
1lb mushrooms
12 chopped olives
Caponata
I large aubergine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
At least 1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
Some olives, black or green, and parsley to finish
- Cut aubergine into thick slices and then into sticks or cubes
- Salt them over a colander, leave for 20 minutes or so, rinse under the tap and dry
- Brown lightly in the oil
- Add the vinegar and finely chopped garlic
- Add the red pepper chopped
- Season
- Let it stew until soft - but make sure the vegetables still have some bite
- Leave to go cold but don't refrigerate if you are going to eat it the same day. if keeping it, bring up to room temperature again
- Add the olives and parsley
This is easy to produce in quantities - 2 aubergines etc.
An optional extra is some chopped tomatoes or a small tin at the stewing stage.
You could also try this mushroom version which I think the Sicilians would approve of. The two together might make a meal with bread or rice or could be part of a substantial feast or buffet for a crowd.
Mushroom starter
3-4 cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons oil
1lb mushrooms
12 chopped olives
- Cook garlic gently first
- Add the mushrooms
- Season with S&P
- Add a teaspoon or more of white wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon Dijon or grain mustard
- Cook until it is a thick mixture and the mushrooms are soft
- Add some extra oil and parsley to serve at room temperature
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