Recipe: Celebrate summer vegetables with this sweet-and-sour caponata

Try this easy recipe for Italian Caponata. Photo by Maria Fazzari Larosa /Handout

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Caponata brings together the rich flavours of summer vegetables with a sweet-and-sour twist consisting of fried eggplant and other vegetables in an agrodolce sauce.

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Agrodolce sauce is a sweet (dolce) and sour (agro) sauce in Italian cooking made with vinegar and sugar. For a great summer appetizer serve on crusty bread. There are many variations of this dish. Hope you enjoy my version.

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Caponata

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1 large eggplant

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3 celery stalks diced

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1 yellow onion chopped

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1 lb (454 g) cherry tomatoes halved

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1 cup (250 mL) green olives pitted and chopped

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2 tbsp (30 mL) capers drained

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3 tbsp (45 mL) tomato paste

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1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped parsley

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3/4 cup (180 mL) white vinegar

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1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

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Olive oil for frying and sautéing

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Salt and pepper

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Fresh basil for garnish

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Cut the eggplant into small cubes and season with salt (set aside in a colander to sweat out the bitterness of the eggplant for about 20-30 minutes) while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Pat dry with paper towels, before frying.

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Add olive oil about 1/2-inch deep into a large pot, and heat. Work in batches to avoid crowding the eggplant. Once golden, remove eggplant cubes with a large slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

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In a sauté pan add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium, sauté the diced celery and chopped onion until soft and translucent. Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

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In a small glass, pour the vinegar and add in 1 tbsp sugar. Mix well and set aside. Add chopped green olives, capers, and halved cherry tomatoes to the sauté pan, season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar and sugar that was set aside to the sauté pan, simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

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Gently fold in the fried eggplant and the chopped parsley, and cook everything together for about a few minutes, taste, and adjust salt or sugar if needed. The balance should be sweet, tangy, and savoury. Remove from heat, rest, garnish with fresh torn basil leaves and serve.

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Serves 4. 

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Maria Fazzari Larosa is a cookbook author of Maria’s Italian Cucina of Burnaby who shares her recipe creations online @mariascucina on Instagram.

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