There is ALWAYS so much to love in your work David. Throughout Sicily, there are countless variations of Caponata. Each vegetable is cooked separately, and then they are layered,so the distinctive flavor of each ingredient is retained. (I’ve not seen any caponata recipes that use peeled eggplant.) Thank you for the recipe. (That’s why canned coconut milk is often better than what you can make at home.) Rather than sugar or honey, we throw in raisins for sweetness. I usually make Julia Childs’ ratatouille a couple of times each summer. Je l'ai faite la veille et simplement réchauffée à la dernière minute. Add the parboiled celery, olives, capers, tomato sauce, vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Demeter (your tomato sauce) are known for their impeccable quality and making, all their produce is organic too – I love them, although they are quite pricey. Add oil little by little, when you see that the skillet is absolutely dry. I used 2 tbsp and added an extra tbsp of tomato paste. It was so good that I bookmarked the recipe in her excellent cookbook, Coming Home to Sicily. I always forget to make companata even though grandpa always made it along with his gardeniera! I love your idea to replace sugar with honey. It should be a little stronger than you like as it will calm down in a day or two. Our favorite lunch is a nice thick slab of rustic bread, grilled, with a slather of good goat cheese, topped with caponata. Caponata kan bruges som tilbehør til mange forskellige retter - f.eks. Politique de protection des données personnelles. Do you think it will be as good if I roast the eggplant? In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, brown half the eggplant in 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the oil. I agree David, worth the luxury! It's perfect to make on a weekend afternoon. She says in her instructions it could be canned. Theu were in agreement that you are one fine chef! But if you can get it from a producer or a reputable vendor, that’s the best option for sure. There’s so much information out there, it’s hard to sift through it all. #chocolat Since, I’ve never tasted or made anything that comes close it, sadly! My favorite book is the art of Sicilian cooking by Anna Muffoletto. YUM. Have a great holiday! The book highlights her life in Sicily, along with her favorite cheesemakers and farmers on the island, including the most incredible fresh ricotta I’ve ever had, and change-your-life tomato paste. Fabrizia’s blog is fantastic! All agreed, it needed to be peeled. Peel eggplants, leaving some strips of peel, then cut into 1-inch cubes and spread on half of a kitchen towel. Yield: serves 6-8. I have found though that blanching the celery is essential and rare to find in any Caponata recipe so kudos on that. Could one substitute peppers (which my husband and I love, especially red ones) for celery, which neither of us will eat when cooked and he won’t touch when raw, either? What an eye! Thank you for the spectacular photos too – such buzz, astonishing DoF & incredible colours. A great alternative to frying eggplant for the caponata is to grill them in the over. It may be just your particular eggplant? I love eggplant and use it for cooking a lot. Hate to use so much oil. Any recs? The oven must be hot, about 250 celsius and in 20 minutes they are done. I don’t know if they’re traditional in caponata either. ), I would not try to sell them on a brownie or chocolate cake. It may be good , but not ratatouille. It also makes a nice topping for crostini: Pile it atop grilled bread that’s been brushed with olive oil before grilling, or let the bread cool and smear it with fresh ricotta or another spreadable cheese, then top with caponata. Great recipe that brought me back to my childhood. I buy Cento® Peele Tomatoes — They are San Marzano tomatoes and very good — and I mush them up in my hands if I want a coarse sauce or use a blender wand for a puree. A while back, there was an article about “deal-breakers” in recipes, an ingredient or technique that make someone not want to make a recipe. I usually don’t deep fry at home either…the mess, so much oil! That’s not how I make Caponata but hey, that’s life. Saler, poivrer et sucrer. I’ve heard a lot about Fabrizia from reading Luisa’s blog, so I am quite certain that it is. I used sunflower oil but you can use a good-quality peanut or canola oil for frying. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/my-food-photogr/. I’m quite taken with them since I had them at a party served over a whole smoked salmon. I loved the way the eggplants exploded with flavor, and the other ingredients – salty olives, still-crisp celery, and capers – kept the dish bright and crunchy. When I took a bite before serving it, it had magically transformed into the most wonderful eggplant salad I could imagine. Taste, and add additional salt if desired, and perhaps another splash of vinegar. This year I tried Laura Zavan’s recipe. Lovely! Version papier ou numérique, à vous de choisir ! Either way, be sure to reduce the salt in the recipe to compensate for any saltiness the eggplant might retain. One addition to caponata that I’ve seen are raisins, which are used in Sicilian savory cooking. Ooh love the idea of this recipe especially since you like it but aren’t a fan of ratatouille (not a favorite of mine). Here in the US, what sort of olives should I buy? (I ended up using a total of 1 cup/250ml.). They also consider celery stalks to be inedible and eat only the leaves. There really are good ones that speed things up and sometimes it’s the difference between making something and just not so why be doctrinaire about it when a resource is easily available? I never ever salt my eggplants and over the meal I learned that in the States they have (had?) Ciao. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant generously with olive oil and salt, to taste. Korisnica je objavila 10 recepata s Podravka proizvodima 14.06.2006. I love Fabrizia’s caponata recipe and made it with her in Sicily and later at my house in New Jersey. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR ADDING THE PRINT OPTION!!! The version in Mastering the Art of French Cooking has you fry courgettes and aubergines separately, then cook onions, peppers, and tomatoes before putting everything together for a brief simmer — similar to your caponata. This classic sweet and sour eggplant relish, an elegant dip or a topping for bruschetta, is rich with caramelized onions and sweet raisins. I was recently at a dinner party with some Italians who told me no one in Italy uses jarred sauce, so I wondered who bought all those jars I’ve seen in Italian grocery stores? And also the comments are very often inspiring, interesting and some make me just nod and thinking ‘Yeah, I feel the same’. Have a nice time off. Anyone have any thoughts about this? Season with salt and pepper. buon appetito Kiki, Kiki I use blanched almonds, break them with a mezzaluna or a broad chef’s knife. Recette La vraie caponate à l'italienne : découvrez les ingrédients, ustensiles et étapes de préparation Let us know how it works out if you do. Mouiller avec le vinaigre et l'eau. Ratatouille always tastes like a lot of stewed vegetable all mixed up, and never seemed to capture the distinctness of each of the ingredients like the caponata I had in Sicily, that changed my mind about cooked vegetable salads. Garnish it with the shrimp, bottarga, and minced parsley, and serve, with a dry white wine. Sicilians aren’t afraid of using copious amounts of olive oil and cooks there use a lot of it in their cooking. Caponata is the cornerstone of Sicilian cuisine, according to Fabrizia Lanza, who was born in Sicily and returned to her family’s agricultural estate to teach cooking classes there. Since eggplant season is almost over, I decided to share with you Nonna Sara’s recipe. Given the expense of pine nuts at the moment, you might try substituting lightly toasted pistachio nuts – they’re less than half the price in UK and they don’t make the dish seem any less Sicilian. Remove the leaves from the celery branches and cut the branches into 1/2-inch (1,25cm) thick slices. Be sure to add them to the “soffritto” just a minute after you add the sweet ‘n sour vinegar-sugar…great post David! hmm I have lived in Belgium for nearly 12 years (as of tomorrow) and have often seen people eat celery (and grow it too) and only seen “traditional” ratatouille – (I have seen individuals eat canned ratatouille straight out of a can though eeew) – maybe there are regional differences in play? La caponata, one of the most famous Sicilian dishes, is a good example. The caponata pie is the “noble” version of the common Palermo’s caponata . Anna del Conte’s caponata. Découvrez des recettes personnalisées en créant votre profil Marmiton, #Gratin Dauphinois Unfortunately I am now allergic to eggplant, but I grew up eating them as my dad was Neapolitan & I also lived in Sicily as an adult for 3+years. Eggplant Caponata. We also sub red peppers for green peppers because the flavor is softer. By the time they are ready, they look slightly caramelized and cooked through, but not saturated with oil. Hi David, I am so happy to see you love Caponata! Like most eggplant dishes, this gets better overnight. Tags: capers Caponata celery eggplant Fabrizia Lanza honey olive oil parsley recipe Sicilian Sicily sugar tomato tomato sauce vinegar. Almonds are a great ingredient in their own right or as a replacement for pine kernels, I use them in “Pasta con le sarde”, in “Pesto alla Trapanese” and Pesto itself with great results, Thanks for this idea. Cook the mixture at a simmer, stirring carefully so as not to mash up the eggplant pieces, for 3 to 4 minutes. Do you know her ? I like it even better that way. And frying the eggplant in the oil ended up not being nearly as messy as deep-frying and the clean-up took just minutes. I’ve made Fabrizia’s caponata many times and it can’t be beat. Have to agree with David too that second day is the way to go! By the way, I just made your milk chocolate ice cream from The Perfect Scoop (minus cocoa nibs) for my granddaughters and it was a big hit with children and adults. This recipes is an A+! A servir de préférence le lendemain de sa préparation, avec du basilic frais, et arrosé d’un filet d’huile d’olive. I love it but totally forgot to make it this year. I wasn’t sure about the celery, and I thought last time I made caponata I used red pepper, so I did 1/2 c of celery and 1/2 cup red pepper. It's tangy, sweet, crunchy, and salty all at the same time. If you don’t know it already, give me a shout & I’ll share my recipe. What’s a good (affordable) place to buy some in Paris? Merci. Ou ratatouille à la sicilienne. [1] I don’t like those either and green peppers tend to take over any dish that they’re in. All are foodies and 1 was a chef. I always thought the Belgiums were weird. So I picked up a couple of jars of salsa pronta, Italian tomato sauce, and used that. I learned to make ratatouille when I was living in France after college. Yesterday, I had 4 American friends visiting and only during the morning I learned that one has a cheese intolerance and one is vegetarian. Thanks for your post, just in time for the last weeks of dining in the garden! I checked out the Salsa Pronto recipe as well. A kind of southern cousin to the ratatouille of Provence, this dish stars eggplant, with celery co-starring and with tomato and onions in supporting roles, along with capers … Thank you David, again!!! It’s great stuff and does last quite some time in home fridges. May you have a wonderful, quiet vacation! Remove from heat and transfer the caponata to a large, shallow serving platter or bowl and cool. . A propos of nothing much, have you tried fried capers? You can add more later. Discussed this issue with them and , BTW, I salvaged it by pulling out all the eggplant and taking the skin off. It is I am thinking, delicious. Elle se mange aussi bien chaude que froide et peut être servie à la fois comme antipasto déposée sur une bruschetta ou en accompagnement de grillades. Je l'ai terminé le lendemain et elle était encore très bonne. Caponata. But I am also often blown away by the beauty of your photos. I’m just so thankful to have found you one of these lucky days…. Set aside. Ahh, caponata!!! I can’t wait to try. Serve it at room temperature with grilled bread, toast or crackers. Ma recette de la CAPONATA, sans restrictions de ma part, et j'espere sans critiques d'autres parts. He made it with the raisins and pine nuts. (I just posted a recipe, but it’s more a method than a real recipe.) Leave out peppers and much is well. La recette par la conque d'or. Now I cant eat eggplant, one of my favourite Sicilian veg salads, which many friends love, is Sweet & Sour Spiced Pumpkin (can use Butternut Squash too). tried this and it was delish BUT eggplant skin was Over the top tuff and ruined the dish. I discovered the recipe years ago in Paris and make it once or twice a year because it is a lot of work. It makes a great topping for bruschetta. David did a posting on his camera gear and the way he gets his pictures a while ago. Thank you, David for another wonderful recipe and article. You’ll likely need to add more oil to the pan as you go. Elle a le gros avantage de se préparer à l'avance et, conservée au frais, de se bonifier au fil des jours. I added fresh basil (chopped), and assumed the author meant for dried oregano, not fresh. Some also add toasted pine nuts along with the raisins, which are an option, although the good ones have gotten so expensive that they’ve become a luxury. La caponata est une recette de cuisine sicilienne, à base de légumes de l'été : tomates, aubergines, céleri en branches, oignons, câpres et olives.On peut encore y ajouter des raisins secs, des poivrons, des pignons, du basilic.. Les légumes sont revenus dans l'huile d'olive, chacun successivement, en évitant de les cuire trop longtemps. I got some beautiful small eggplants at the market, and watched them go from being pale, to a burnished golden-brown, and couldn’t resist snacking on the darkest cubes as soon as they were cool enough to eat. Almost hands-free, no spattering, no stovetop cleanup. Love the addition of capers and pine nuts will definitely add to my classic onion, red pepper, squash, tomato (fresh) plus tomato puree, and eggplant “g’vetch” as we call it here in Israel (NOT kvetch!). Sauvegarder et Ajouter à ma liste de courses 1 mai 2017 - En Italie, une recette savoureuse proche de notre ratatouille existe, elle s'appelle caponata. Vous confirmez que cette photo n'est pas une photo de cuisine ou ne correspond pas à cette recette ? One could make fresh tomato sauce but often good-quality tomato sauce that you buy is richer in flavor than fresh, because they’re sometimes produced in regions with better tomatoes than one can buy at their local market. La caponata est un plat typique de la cuisine sicilienne à base d'aubergines frites, d'oignons, de tomates, de céleri, d'olives vertes et de câpres cuits dans du vinaigre et de l'huile d'olive. If you want to make a lighter version, you could prepare the eggplant the way you mention, but you might not be as happy with the flavor. I used jarred, pitted green olives (without the pimento, although you could use them if you want). I completely agree about good tomato sauce. Preparation. Serve the warm caponata scattered with the basil leaves and pine nuts, with bruschetta on the side. I am going to try it. Eggplant is my favorite vegetable, but it can be tricky to cook it: sometimes it’s bitter, some varieties are very tender and get overcooked easily, etc. I had never made or had caponata before – it was terrific and a big hit with all tried it. Elle était tout aussi délicieuse que la veille. Season with salt, then fry the rest of the eggplant in batches, seasoning them with salt as you remove them from the oil. I agree wholeheartedly about not salting the aubergines. To keep the oil light what I usually do is drizzle a little olive oil in the pan, throw the eggplant in to brown it up a bit then lower the heat, put the lid on the pan so it kind of steams the eggplant then I continue with the recipe. Lorsqu'ils sont dorés, ajouter les tomates pelées, épépinées et concassées. Go figure. The freshly prepared caponata 550 g flour 00 200 g lard 40 g granulated sugar 120 g dry white wine 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon of cinnamon A generous pinch of salt. Each veggie keeps its’ own taste & crunch, but you’re in the kitchen all day! FYI: In Belgium they call anything mixed and mashed together “ratatouille.” Like mashed potatoes with endives (aka stoemp). Preheat oven to 400°. All recipes in her head of course! À refaire. Couldn’t disagree more about ratatouille though. Directions Yo are fabulous! Love Ratatouille…the best was in Hawaii a long time ago. Over the years I learned to deal with it. Hope you enjoy your weeks off – you will be missed. til dejlige pastaretter, til fisk eller i sandwiches. Then poured most out to save and fried the egg in the rest of the oil. #poulet. Great recipe. 2. Eggplant is my favorite and specially fried. Trim the stems off eggplant and cut into 1-inch (3cm) pieces. I have my own caponata recipe (given to me by a friend in Turin) which is similar to yours, but with a yellow onion instead of red and a sprinkle of pine nuts and basil over the top. I also agree with one comment about the parsley – I forgot to add it the first day out. And it will last all week. Læs mere. I don’t boil celery but fry it separately as I like it a bit crunchy. I love to make and eat Caponata too. 4. [Usually only available here in large grocery chains]. Kontakt. I love ratatouille, and I agree, the way to cook aubergine is to dice it and cook in a lidded pan with only a little oil – it will cook quite well. Nothing complicated, but delicious. Lury. Les faire revenir dans 3 cuillère à soupe d'huile pendant 15 minutes. Thank you David. Oh, and yes it’s always better at room temperature the next day! Let come to a low boil then add the eggplant. Picholines are too tiny to yield much pulp. Super tasty! But in fact, the recipe gave me the chance to give my stovetop a long-overdue cleaning. Added it the next day -think I may have preferred without. This sounds great, can’t wait to try it. Serve it as a side with fish or as a spread on rustic bread. Do you think the smaller, younger ones, or smaller varieties work better for caponata? Absolute food of the gods and a staple at my house thanks to the year round blessing of good canned or boxed San Marzanos. C’est toujours un délice de te lire. Prepare it the night before serving if you can; it always tastes better the next day. Great recipe. That version was everything in the pot but carefully layered for the hardier veggies to get direct heat and the more tender on top to render their juices downward. Have a lovely vacation! We eat copious amounts as the pan comes out of the oven, so make extra. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Tomorrow I’ll have it cooled. Thanks! What kind of cam rap and lens? Caponata is a Sicilian sweet and sour version of ratatouille. So it’s nice that she doesn’t include them. Italians use olive oil not just for frying, but for it’s flavor, which is an important component of this dish. Then a few seasons passed, and I never got around to making caponata. Pour conserver l'annotation de cette recette, vous devez également la sauver dans votre carnet. It’s a lot of effort but it’s the only way to get a ratatouille where the ingredients taste of what they are. Also, Whole Foods has an amazing olive bar with several varieties of green, but agree, good jarred ones that are already pitted is the way to go. Caponata Three Ways: Deliciously Different Takes on a Classic Recipe Ask three Sicilians what goes into caponata, their island’s beloved eggplant dish, and you’ll get three different answers. Derived from Foods of the World, The Cooking of Italy by Waverley Root Time Life Books 1968.p195. Dear David, I always love reading your blog and have enjoyed many of the recipes you share with us. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your taste adventures, after reading your experience I feel as though I’ve been on a taste adventure too. Some use octopus and seafood, other pine nuts and raisins. The trick here is to start with just 1 table spoon on a heated non-stick skillet, then add your cubed eggplant and cook, stirring and pressing slightly every minute. When serving I add a small dollop of quality olive oil from the bottle for fullness (much better when it isn’t heated), and a generous dollop of pesto …….. the mix tastes like heaven. Drinking French Bar Boxes from Slope Cellars and K & L Wine Merchants, https://www.davidlebovitz.com/my-food-photogr/. It’s meant to be served at room temperature, and I like it cold as well. At this time of year here, eggplants tend to be quite large in the farmers markets. This looks amazing, David! I was married to a Sicilian and the food there is fabulous. I love both ratatouille & caponata, fabulous to have a new recipe. A good tip I learned is to cover the surrounding stove area, including the stove and oven knobs, with aluminum foil, to lessen clean up. 5. The only way to do real ratatouille is separately. Which I’ve always found odd, because if someone told me they didn’t like chocolate (I know – horrors! Proche de la ratatouille, ce plat est généralement servi froid. David, wouldn’t it work if I just toss the eggplant pieces in olive oil, spread it in a large pan and roast them? What settings do you use? But it takes forever and no matter how much I make we eat it all before the winter is over. Have a wonderful beach vacation…enjoy some good food and wine…and relax. But, an absolutely brilliant recipe – so full of flavors and just wonderful on homemade seasoned toasts. mostly aubergines in white and in small sizes, they really looked a bit like eggs and voilà, that was a mystery resolved! Thank you for your writing and recipes throughout the year – this one in particular. My father was from Rome and my mum is from Malta but making caponata was as an important ritual as it is making tomato sauce in the idea of “Italianism”. C'est la meilleure manière de ne rater aucun numéro, de faire des économies et de se régaler tous les deux mois :) En plus vous aurez accès à la version numérique pour lire vraiment partout. From the first bite, I was hooked. Looks great, complimenti! And I’m wondering how you get so much into the focal plane in your close ups. Cœur et tripes. (only kidding). Great post. Fried the eggplant in about an inch of olive oil, but with the pan at a low enough heat it really didn’t splatter at all (maybe took longer). Because eggplant absorbs flavors like a sponge, it’s particularly good in such a pungent dish. ), and I’ve never attempted it for same (and other) reasons…this is an interesting recipe; looks good! Heat a griddle pan, drizzle the bread with olive oil and griddle until toasted and lightly charred on both sides, then rub with a garlic clove and season. Contrairement à la ratatouille que nous connaissons bien, la caponata se mange essentiellement froide. I love it too….a summer favorite here in NJ (a lot of Italian Americans live here). You deserve it! Sauvegarder et Ajouter à mon panier If you’re fortunate to get good tomatoes where you are and want to make your own tomato sauce, I’ve linked to Fabrizia’s salsa pronta recipe at the end of the post. Mélanger bien puis ajouter les aubergines et les poivrons. But it leads me to my green olive conundrum…. Toss eggplant with 2 Tbsp. I love Caponata Siciliana. Caponata er en siciliansk ... La Gondola 35,-Læg i kurv Kapers - i olivenolie - 330g Morea 112,-Læg i kurv Så godt kan sardiner smage Læs om den familieejede La Goldola, der fremstiller kvalitets dåsefisk efter gamle traditioner. Cómo hacer caponata siciliana. I use a timer! Merci mille fois. Yes, I tackled fried chicken in duck fat, but deep-frying at home isn’t my thing. Yes, it’s important to know where your olive oil comes from if you can. Using a very generous amount of olive oil I brown the eggplant cubes under the broiler in my biggest lasagna pan, turning them twice. And pine nuts for texture. To you and yours happy days of doing only what you want, I’m sure we will all be receiving one or two glimpses of your doings in a future post – edible postcards if you will – as I suspect that no trip to anywhere will be wasted with not eating, tasting, collecting :). Interesting too is that he used to put raisins and pine nuts into his meatballs as well. I used less oil than called for, seemed like a lot. love your recipes, blogs and cookbooks!! Laisser cuire à découvert pendant 15 minutes pour que le vinaigre s'évapore et que le mélange épaississe légèrement. The honey is an interesting addition too! David, We love caponata in our house – it’s a staple. Sicilian celery is different – much smaller spears so I sometimes don’t use it in my caponata. Chopped Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing, Holiday Gift Idea! On the question of canned tomato sauce: I kind of compromise, especially in the winter when tomatoes are not good in New England. For me, putting parsley over it (yes, for a photo) is a big no-no as it doesn’t need it. Roast, turning occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 25–30 minutes. I suspect they fry the eggplant in olive oil, too, although in her book, Fabrizia recommends vegetable oil. ), except the oil quantities used. The sweet and sour nature of caponata lends itself to other vegetables: use fennel, artichoke or zucchini instead of the eggplant, or a combination of any of them. 2019 - Recette classique de la cuisine sicilienne, la caponata est un plat à base d'aubergines, céleri, poivrons, oignons, tomates, olives, câpres et cuit avec de l'huile d'olive et du vinaigre. About salting aubergines, not only are they not bitter anymore but salt makes them soft, and I want my little cubes to stay a bit firm. Looks delish! La recette d'aujourd'hui est italienne, plus précisément sicilienne. I used to have a hard time with certain cooked vegetable salads, such as ratatouille, even though people have insisted that I would like their version. By pure coincidence I’ve just made a large caponata tonight. Like speaking with a kindred soul for me – thanks for the link David. My nonna made egg plant under olive oil, which I’d devour between 2 pieces of wood oven-cooked bread as well as Parmigiana & Pasta alla Norma. So many recipes in there that my grandmother used to make. Not ur fault but I guess next time I would peel the eggplant. I had some (of your hated) peppers, onions, garlic, huge bunches of flat parsley (which I got to know first in Italy), some tiny juicy tomatos and as I always ‘grill’ them all separately (in olive oil), I was kept quite busy. Can’t wait to try this. I immediately went for a quick ‘additional shopping’ trip and I came back with no aubergine but young zucchini & fresh mushrooms. Recette Caponata : découvrez les ingrédients, ustensiles et étapes de préparation On peut aussi la servir en accompagnement d’un plat de viande ou de poisson,.... La recette par Diana. I like this because it gives really good tomato flavor and I don’t have to deal with the added sugar and other flavors that commercial sauces so often use to “enhance” the flavor. I’m with you; deep frying is always a recipe deal-breaker. Y jeter les oignons émincés. Eggplant has the texture that allows to absorb oil like a sponge. 3. Caponata is a great farmer's market recipe. HI Kiki- if you look on the wikipedia entry you will see one of the varieties which looks like an egg. It was devoured by all.Next time I will peel. When the caponata is cooked, leave to cool slightly while you make the bruschetta. I think they call them Spanish olives or Manzanilla olives, in the U.S., which are carried in supermarkets. But caponata is better :). Ajouter à mon panier. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until wilted and starting to turn golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. I can’t wait to try this one – my eggplant here in Texas are bursting with beautiful purple treasure. when eating it the skins could not be swallowed. Serve at room temperature as … and will try oven roasting with generous olive oil next time. Cook the eggplant in batches, not crowding too many into the pan at once, turning them occasionally, until they are browned all over. I got to visit a few years back and still remember it as one of the best weeks I’ve spent in, well…years. I like this caponata recipe (and will cook it soon! i moved after 20 years in Paris, to Italy). Had dinner guests over last night and served this. If going the store-bought route, choose a good-quality tomato sauce, one without a lot of extraneous ingredients. It uses bright red bell peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Enjoy your vacation. I totally agree with you, David, about the fresh sheep’s milk ricotta I helped make at a workshop with Fabrizia in Sicily – out of this world! The surprising thing about caponata is that it definitely improves the day after it’s made. Here’s the kicker in this recipe. I just picked up a bunch of aubergine today at the market just for this recipe. Here’s the link, you should take a look. Caponata is a Sicilian appetizer made from eggplant. The last few years I’ve started adding a square of very dark chocolate, as some Sicilians do. Also, I find that this year’s toms are very expensive… I still buy them though, can’t live without. In a large, heavy-duty skillet (I used cast iron) heat 3/4-inch (2cm) of vegetable or olive oil. I think if you removed the skin, the eggplant pieces may fall apart. We used to work together as in an assembly line and I’m quite sure I used to be the one chopping courgettes. David, Thanks! She is THE italian recipe expert in Paris. Drain and rinse well in cold water. That was good enough to fall in love with but I’ve made many, many ratatouilles since and I have to agree that cooking/roasting separately and then combining results in the best flavor and appearance.