Ingredients
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1kg Eggplants
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100gr Green olives
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500gr Celery
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400gr Tomatoes
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1tbsp Tomato puree
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1tbsp Sugar
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50gr Capers
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Vinegar
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Olive oil
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Salt and Pepper
Directions
Caponata is probably one of the most common appetizers and sides in the Sicilian Cuisine – the typical Caponata is done with Eggplants, but is quite common to see nowadays different variations of this famous dish, where the eggplant give space to other vegetables, or even fish (Caponata with swordfish is an example)
The following recipe is for the original Caponata di Melanzane (Eggplants Caponata).
Steps
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1
Done
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Start cutting the eggplants into little cubes – don’t peel them! |
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2
Done
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Cut in small pieces the celery. |
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3
Done
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Put the tomatoes (better if sweet and mature, so be sure to choose some good, fresh tomatoes!) in boiling water for 10 min. When ready, let them cool down a bit then peel them and remove all the little seeds. Chop them into small pieces. |
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4
Done
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Remove the pit from inside the olives and chop them in half. |
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5
Done
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Put 2tbsp of olive oil in a pan and start putting the tomatoes and 1 table spoon of Tomatoes Puree – Cook for 10 min, medium temperature without any lid. |
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6
Done
|
Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then the celery, olives and the capers. |
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7
Done
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Melt the sugar in a cup of vinegar, pour it into the pan and mix carefully. Cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough. |
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8
Done
|
Start frying the eggplant using enough olive oil to cover them (I suggest to use a sauce pan to do that!). Cook them until the color is gold – remove the oil (Be careful!) and dry them with some kitchen paper, we don’t want them to be too oily. Pour them into the sauce and stir for few minutes. |
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9
Done
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Let it rest a bit – Caponata is best served if at room temperature, not hot! |
