Olio's Caponata


caponata, olio, botanical heights, dips
caponata from olio photo by carmen troesser

Ingredients

½ eggplant, peeled and medium diced
Kosher salt, to taste
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup small-diced celery
¼ cup small-diced onion 
½ cup passata*
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped capers
2 Tbsp. pitted and chopped green olives
½ Tbsp. sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste



Preparation

• In a large mixing bowl, toss the eggplant with salt and let rest 30 minutes. Squeeze the eggplant to remove excess liquid. 

• Add the oil to a Dutch oven and preheat over high heat. Add the eggplant and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and onions and cook 2 minutes. Add the passata, vinegar, capers, olives, sugar and black pepper and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool. 

• Serve at room temperature on garlic-rubbed toast or bread.

* Passata is a strained tomato

puree. Mutti passata is available at John Viviano

& Sons Grocers,

shopviviano.com.