Spicy Eggplant Caponata
This summer I found myself with a oversized globe eggplant and red bell pepper when a friend was leaving on a trip and on a mission to empty out her fridge. Who am I to turn down some beautiful vegetables?
Caponata isn’t always my “go-to” when it comes to eggplant. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of other eggplant recipes here on Sly Rooster that I make more frequently but for some reason (or maybe the obvious reason that caponata features eggplant + red bell pepper), I was on a mission and decided that maybe it was my recipe that was underwhelming as opposed to the actual dish.
With that in mind, I did some exploring and landed upon this recipe for Spicy Eggplant Caponata that was adapted from a popular Northwest DC restaurant called Barcelona (kind of funny because I am pretty sure that caponata’s origins are Italian, but who am I to question what turns out to be a fabulous rendition).
This caponata is delicious served on crusty bread, pita chips or even spooned over pasta or grilled swordfish. And it’s perfect to prepare all year long. Enjoy!
Spicy Eggplant Caponata
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant diced small
- 1/4 c olive oil divided
- 1 red bell pepper diced small
- 1 med red onion diced small
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 c crushed tomatoes from a can
- 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbls honey
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 c chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a sauté pan, sear the eggplant until almost burnt over medium-high heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Use olive oil, but very little of it- pan should be almost dry. Work in batches, transferring the seared eggplant to big bowl.
- When all the eggplant is seared and removed from the pan, add the olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic and reduce the heat to medium-low. Sweat the peppers and onions until soft (8-10 minutes).
- While onions, pepper, and garlic are cooking, combine the tomatoes, vinegars, honey and chili flakes in a pot. Reduce by half.
- Add the seared eggplant back into the sauté pan with the peppers and onions. Cook gently until the eggplant is cooked through, then add the reduced liquid. Cook approximately 5 more minutes until the liquid is thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Remove pan from the heat and transfer caponata to a large serving bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature. Fold in the basil and parsley leaves, then enjoy!
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