Caponata – The ratatouille of Sicily

Caponata is the flagship vegetable dish of Sicilian cuisine. The most important ingredient in a classic caponata is eggplants. Anyone who thinks that eggplants don’t taste like much should definitely give them a try! It is similar in composition to French ratatouille. In addition to the purple eggplants, red and green peppers, large mild Giarratana onions and young celery stalks play the main culinary roles.

It has to be sweet and sour

First, the caponata chef has to do all the chopping! Then the aromatic vegetables have to be fried individually in plenty of olive oil. Once they are cooked, they are all caramelized in a pan with sugar and deglazed with a large glass of white wine vinegar. Now add a few spoonfuls of fresh, aromatic tomato sauce. Salted capers and large, soft raisins enhance the sweet and sour taste. The caponata is then simmered until it has a creamy consistency. At the end, the dish is sprinkled with fresh basil and/or parsley.

Caponata – The recipe from Sicily

In Sicily, every family has its own recipe: sometimes olives , zucchinis or breadcrumbs are added to the pot, sometimes oregano, honey or pine nuts. There may even be a dark chocolate sauce. The vegetarian and sometimes even vegan dish showcases all the richness of the Sicilian vegetable garden. Preserved in jars, you can bring the taste of summer into the cold season with this dish. The mixture of sweet and sour flavors clearly shows the influence of Arabic cuisine.

The special thing about caponata is its versatility. It tastes delicious on toasted bread, it can be served cold or warm as a small side dish with bistecca or pollo all diavolo or stockfish and it is certainly a hit on an antipasto platter.