Has your garden left you with more veggies than you can possibly eat? Fabio comes to the rescue with this flavorful cooked vegetable caponata, the ultimate Italian side dish, and shares some easy ways to imbue any veggies with even more flavor.
Tips:
- Caponata originated out of an abundance of veggies and a desire not to waste them.
- Make veggies taste better by simply cutting them smaller: more surface area is meets the heat, sauces, and/or spices, resulting in more delicious caramelization and exposure to flavors.
- Use vinegar and brown sugar to heighten flavors.
- Dish comes together in less than 20 minutes.
Recipe by Fabio Viviani
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
¼ c light olive oil
2 cups carrots, large diced
2 cups onions, large diced
2 cups celery, large diced
3 sprigs thyme
1 whole eggplant, cut into ½ - 1 inch squares
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup green olives, sliced
1 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar
10 mint leaves, chopped
10 basil leaves, chopped
½ cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. tomato paste
Method:
Heat light olive oil in a sauté pan, over medium heat.
Add carrots, onion, celery and thyme and cook until caramelized.
Turn heat to high, and add eggplant, salt and pepper, and let it wilt.
Turn the heat back to medium, and add olives, pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil.
Let everything caramelize, stirring occasionally.
Add brown sugar and one cup of vinegar.
Add mint and basil to the pan, and let the vinegar reduce.
Mix the half-cup of vinegar with tomato paste.
Add the tomato paste and vinegar mixture, and let cook an additional 3-5 minutes.
MANGIA!
