Caponata

Directions

  1. 1Peel the aubergine in stripes, then chop it into cubes.
  2. 2Salt the chopped aubergine and let it brine.
  3. 3Chop the celery.
  4. 4Chop the onion.
  5. 5Shallow fry the aubergine until golden, then strain off excess oil and set aside.
  6. 6Chop the courgette.
  7. 7Cook down the onion and celery in the pan.
  8. 8Add courgette to the pan.
  9. 9Chop the tomatoes.
  10. 10Chop the peppers.
  11. 11Add tomatoes and peppers to the pan.
  12. 12Chop the garlic.
  13. 13Add garlic and tomato passata to the pan.
  14. 14Add the drained aubergine back into the pan with the other vegetables.
  15. 15Wash off salted capers.
  16. 16Crush green olives.
  17. 17Add washed capers and crushed green olives to the pan.
  18. 18Toast pine nuts until golden.
  19. 19Make an agrodolce by combining red wine vinegar, peppercorns, and sugar.
  20. 20Add basil leaves to the Caponata.
  21. 21Add the agrodolce to the Caponata.
  22. 22Add toasted pine nuts to the Caponata.
  23. 23Cook chicken breast and potatoes.
  24. 24Serve potatoes with olive oil and salt.
  25. 25Plate a generous amount of Caponata next to the potatoes.
  26. 26Place sliced cooked chicken breast on top of the Caponata.

Ingredients

  • Aubergine
  • Salt
  • Oil
  • Onion
  • Celery
  • Courgette
  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Garlic
  • Salted capers
  • Green olives
  • Pine nuts
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Peppercorns
  • Sugar
  • Basil
  • Chicken breast
  • Potatoes
  • Olive oil

Equipment

Cutting boardKnifeLarge bowlPanStrainerSmall saucepan

Tips

  • Cooking in layers helps everything retain its texture really well.
  • The Caponata will get better and better over days.
  • Consider adding some raw celery just before serving for a bit of a vegetal crunch.