Discover the traditional Pane Cunzato recipe, Sicily’s iconic seasoned bread made easy to prepare and packed with authentic Sicilian flavor.
PANE CUNZATO
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EGGPLANT CAPONATA
Caponata is one of Sicily’s most beloved dishes, especially in the summer when eggplants are in season and at the peak of their flavor. Originating in Palermo and reinterpreted in every corner of the island, it can serve as an excellent side dish for meat and fish main courses, an appetizer served on slices of toasted bread, or a pasta sauce. Make a large batch, let it sit overnight, and thank yourself tomorrow.
READY IN 1 hour & 45 minutes
DIFFICULTY medium
SERVINGS 6
1000 g (35.7 oz) long aubergines
250g (8.9 oz) tomato puree
80g (2.9 oz) pitted green olives
60g (2.1 oz) capers, rinsed and desalted
60 ml (0.3 cups) white wine vinegar
2 tbsp cane sugar
1 golden onion
1 celery stalk
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt (for purging)
STEP 1:
Wash the aubergines, trim the ends, and cut into roughly 2 cm thick slices. Place in a colander or bowl, sprinkle generously with 1 tablespoons coarse salt (for purging), and weigh down with a heavy plate. Leave for 1 hour, then rinse well under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. After 1 hour cut them into cubes.
STEP 2:
In the meantime, trim and wash the 1 celery stalk, then cut into pieces roughly the same size as the aubergine cubes. Blanch in boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes, then drain.
STEP 3:
In a small bowl, stir together 60 milliliters white wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons cane sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved (agrodolce sauce). Set aside.
STEP 4:
Heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the aubergine cubes in batches until golden on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
STEP 5:
In a wide saucepan, gently sauté 1 golden onion, finely chopped in a splash of 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for 5 minutes without letting it colour. Add 60 grams capers, rinsed and desalted, stir in the fried aubergines, the agrodolce and the blanched celery and cook for a couple of minutes. Add 80 grams pitted green olives and 250 grams of tomato puree, season with salt, and stir for 5 minutes. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon until well combined and let it cook gently for 20 minutes.
STEP 6:
Remove from the heat and scatter over some fresh basil leaves. Allow the caponata to cool completely before serving at room temperature, this mellows the vinegar and lets the flavours meld beautifully.
Wash the aubergines, trim the ends, and cut into roughly 2 cm thick slices.
Add the blanched celery
Add pitted green olives
Add the tomato sauce
When the caponata has cooled, put it in a container and store it in the fridge
START FROM THE INGREDIENTS
The quality of the ingredients is everything. It’s best to choose firm eggplants, tomato puree or peeled tomatoes, depending on the desired consistency, Partanna’s fleshy and buttery olives and Best Sicily’s salt-preserved capers.
IT GETS BETTER OVERNIGHT
Caponata is a dish that improves with time: when made the day before and stored in the fridge, its sweet-and-sour flavor blends perfectly, the vinegar loses its sharpness, and the result is decidedly better. It should be served at room temperature.
EVERY TOWN HAS ITS OWN VERSION
Caponata varies from city to city: in Catania, bell peppers are added; in Agrigento, black olives instead of green ones; and in Messina, fresh tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. But the most authentic version is always your own grandmother’s.
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