Eggplant Caponata

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Eggplant Caponata
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Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 eggplant, peeled, if desired, and cubed
  • 3 fresh tomatoes, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons capers
  • ¼ cup black olives, pitted and chopped, or more to taste
  • ½ red onion, chopped (optional)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat a nonstick skillet over a medium flame and add oil. When the oil is hot, add eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Lower heat, cover and cook about 20 minutes or until soft. Raise heat to high, add tomatoes and cook for bout 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

Great on grilled fish, sandwiches, pizza, cold pasta.

On buying eggplant-
Eggplants are extremely perishable; buy shiny, heavy, dark, smooth eggplants and use them within a day or two. If you can’t find them in absolutely perfect condition, leave them in the market: dented, withered or discolored eggplants will be bitter.

On salting eggplant:
It’s not necessary to salt eggplant. as many recipes recommend: it gets rid of very little liquid, almost no bitterness and adds unnecessary salt to the dish.